Pain of Love
by Neko11
Summary: A horrible twist in time leaves Luffy with his whole crew dead. Another turn leaves Garp dying to save his grandsons. The D brothers will sail the New World together to find One Piece and solve the mystery of the Lost Century. Only time will tell if they recover or die trying. PAUSED!
1. Chapter 1

**Heeey guys! Well, first of all, if you aren't up to date with the manga then pls don't read, SPOILER WARNING! **

**This story is a request from crazzyredhead! It's a 'what if…' story were Ace won't die but someone else instead, let's see if I can surprise you! I liked her story idea so here is the result! **

**Okay, and just to warn you this story contains character death but prepare for positive surprises! :) Another thing, I didn't describe all the things that happened during the war of Whitebeard vs the Marine, so I shortened a few scenes, sorry for that. Oh, and the title of this story maybe changes later.**

**I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes! If you spot some then please feel free to tell me! :)**

**So, crazzyredhead, here's the first chapter for you! :)**

**Pls enjoy reading! :)**

**Disclaimer: No no. I don't own One Piece!**

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**Chapter 1 - The most terrible thing**

"AAAAAACE!" Luffy shouted with all of his might. "Just wait for me! I'll save you, no matter what!"

Ace, kneeling on the platform of the scaffold with heavy chains around his hurting wrists, bit his lip. Everyone was here. His nakama, his father and now even Luffy! He felt so bad right now. All these people he held dear were here! He knew many of them would die here. Just the thought made him want to die. And the worst part of it was that the only thing he could do was sit and watch.

"Baka Luffy! Why… why did you come? I don't need you, just go home!" Ace shouted, trying to sound strong even as he heard his own voice sounding very weak.

Luffy's head shot up in the crowd and his expression became unreadable. Ace, despite the fact that he was practically waiting for his own execution, frowned and immediately realized something was quite off. His little brother looked… somewhat broken, but there was still determination shining in his eyes… determination to save his older brother.

"I'm your little brother!" he then shouted as loud as he could. Ace didn't know what to answer, but Luffy continued, "And you are the only one I have!"

What? The only one he had? What about his friends… his nakama? Ace's frown deepened. But then as he saw another strong guy from the marines attack Luffy, he bit his lip and closed his eyes. No. No no no! It didn't matter what Luffy said, the only thing that mattered was that Luffy was here and wanted to rescue him! His little brother was bringing himself into dangerous situations just because of HIM! This was no kindergarten – it was a real battlefield with thousands of really tough fighters who had been trained to only do one thing: kill the enemy without mercy. And Luffy was one of these enemies.

It took Luffy some time, and it had been so close to the time Ace would be executed, but somehow, Luffy managed to reach the scaffold before Whitebeard. It was amazing, Luffy had seemed to be completely exhausted. When the teen collapsed before, Fire Fist Ace had feared for his brother's life. But Luffy had made it in time and now he was here, full of energy and determination. Ace was speechless in disbelief, yet he was relieved. Luffy really had come far! He hadn't thought his little bro would really make it.

But still, the worry about his brother was there although _he _was the one sitting on the platform. He just couldn't help it. Ace cared for his little brother from the bottom of his heart. He would never forgive himself if Luffy got seriously hurt… or worse.

All of sudden, a huge shadow appeared in front of Luffy as he was about to run up to Ace on the 'street' Inazuma had cut. Shock was written on not only the brothers' faces, but everyone who wanted to save Ace was stunned, looking in horror at the scene before them.

"Gramps!" Luffy yelled, totally surprised. His grandfather was standing in front of him, glaring at his grandson. He looked ready to kill, and Luffy got a real bad feeling. This was his grandfather, _gramps_ for God's sake! The old guy couldn't stop him from rescuing his brother! Sure, gramps was a marine, but still they all were family! He loved Ace as well, didn't he?

"GRAMPS!" Ace's shout rang from the platform, his eyes wide in horror. This couldn't be! If the old fart dared to touch his little brother now… Ace would lose it. But was the old man really serious?

"Strawhat!" Ivankov shouted, knowing Garp too well. He was a very dangerous man indeed, and if there was a fight now, Luffy wouldn't stand a chance!

"It's Garp the Hero!" some of the other pirates yelled, eyes beginning to widen in true horror.

Their grandfather though said nothing and only stood there, his expression was clearly saying 'you-have-to-kill-me-first-to-get-to-Ace.' He made no attempt to move aside for Luffy.

"I've been fighting pirates long before you were even born!" Garp shouted at Luffy. "This is the path the two of you chose! And that's why you are my enemy, Strawhat Luffy!"

The mentioned pirate had a look of horror upon his face but didn't stop. Sure, he knew this wasn't right, but he didn't come this far to rescue his brother only to be stopped by his own grandfather! Luffy couldn't stop, or Ace would die! Right now, that would be the worst thing Luffy could imagine. If Ace died, then he wouldn't have anyone anymore!

The seventeen-year-old ran straight towards Garp, fists clenched all the way. He had to fight him! There was no other way! Luffy quickly went into Gear Second and shot forwards, pictures of his past shining before his inner eye. His grandfather had always hit him, beaten him and done some real bad things to him. With these thoughts in mind, Luffy hit his grandfather right in the face, all his energy in this single blow. It actually _worked!_ Garp flew sideways and down, hitting the floor painfully. He didn't get up. A roar of cheers and yells of shock went through the crowd.

"Garp was defeated!" the pirates shouted wildly around, praying for Luffy and Ace. "Strawhat boy! You can do it!"

Luffy tried as best as he could to ignore what had just happened, as well as the fact that his grandfather hadn't ducked or attacked, and bit his lip. He continued running and reached his brother within a few seconds, relief and happiness taking over.

"Do you really think-" Sengoku started.

"ACE! I've finally made it!" Luffy grinned from ear to ear, quickly pulling out the key he had gotten from Hancock. "Just hold on, I got the key!" A sudden beam of light was shot and directly hit the key before Ace could be freed.

"-I would let you two escape right before my eyes?" the fleet admiral finished.

"Agh! The key!" Luffy gasped. Stupid Kizaru! Why now? He'd almost managed to free his brother!

"Eh? What's wrong Lu-" Ace stated, alarmed by the sudden gasp of his brother, but he shut up as he saw more problems ahead. _Uh_-_oh_…

But Luffy couldn't think any further as Sengoku finally made a move. He showed his frightening devil fruit powers and… began to grow! Luffy and Ace gaped at that, no wonder he was called 'The Buddha'!

The other pirates went as pale as a sheet, fearing for the worst. "Holy shit! It's Sengoku!"

Whitebeard's eyes narrowed as he grumbled under his beard, breathing hard from the huge amount of terrible wounds all over his body. "Sengoku…!"

"EEEHH? what the hell is THAT?" a voice shrieked suddenly.

Luffy, identifying the voice's owner immediately, seized his chance. "What are you doing here?" he shouted, "Ah, never mind!" he added and blew into his thumb. "3! Make a wall to protect Ace!" Luffy ordered as he began to look like a huge balloon.

Mr. 3, who had been lying on the platform dressed like a marine for a while now, was way too shocked to protest. He did as he was told, making a strong wax shield for both him and Fire Fist Ace. Thanks to Luffy, Sengoku's strong blow didn't hit the shield directly but instead hit Luffy, who coughed from the impact. Sengoku really was a strong guy!

Due to the forceful blow, the whole platform was destroyed with a loud 'BOOM!' The three young men fell down, Ace still in chains. As the marines now began to fire at the three, the the smoke filled up the air until no one could see them anymore.

"Strawhaaat boy!" Ivankov shouted, concerned. This boy really was something else to pull something off like that! Strawhat had ridiculous ideas, but somehow they always seemed to work out as planned!

"Ace-san! Luffy-kun!" Jinbei yelled as he gasped at the scene before him. Sengoku was a strong man, and in his devil fruit form, he was nearly impossible to beat! He silently prayed for Ace and Luffy to be safe.

Seconds passed, and time seemed to slow down. Everyone who watched held their breaths, waiting anxiously for what would happen next.

"ACCEE!" Luffy's shout rang out over the whole base. A good sign? Seconds passed and everyone present held their breaths, marines, pirates as well as those people who were watching by snail.

The smoke finally cleared, and as soon as it did, all the pirates cheered loudly.

"You never really change, do you...Luffy?" Ace began, holding his brother by his collar, "Never listening to a damn thing I say! Always doing the most stupid things!" Ace was freed, free of his chains already!

"Ace!" Luffy shouted happily, almost crying in joy.

"You did it, Strawhat!" some shouted, still surprised what a small rookie had done. It was a miracle!

"Fire Fist Ace is a free man!" the marines shouted.

Soon after that, the Whitebeards and the marines got definite proof that the two were a true dream team. Having grown up together as brothers, Luffy and Ace understood each other well, even without words. The one ducked and the other kicked, both jumped and threw a blow, fighting like they had never done anything else. The two D. brothers were like controlled fighting machines, neither of them stopping or doubting a move, both knowing their moves and fighting style perfectly… it was almost as if they could read each other's thoughts.

It was a truly amazing brotherly bond the two had, although they weren't brothers by blood – but as they just proved, it didn't matter. For the Whitebeard pirates, it was awesome to watch the two fighting, and Whitebeard himself couldn't help but chuckle.

"The two brats know how to fight… very well then," the Yonkou murmured more to himself that anyone else, seeing as everyone else was more or less stunned by what had happened. They'd got Ace back! Or more rightly, his little brother had managed to rescue him!

"Drat…" Sengoku muttered, teeth clenching as he panted hard. The head of the marines had gone back to his usual size as his devil fruit powers had been draining his energy.

Garp blinked, lifting his head from the ground to see what was going on. He just couldn't have stopped Luffy. It wasn't that he didn't have enough power to fight the rookie. No, it was something else. It was the family bond they shared. No matter that only one was from his bloodline, the two were his family, and probably the only one he had besides Dragon. Garp wouldn't have forgiven himself if he hadn't let Luffy pass. Sengoku would have to accept that.

"Garp-san! Are you all right?" a marine fighter asked in a concerned tone.

The old man ignored him and just watched Luffy and Ace fight. The two really had learned how to fight, he had to admit that. "Ace…" he murmured, trying to hide the fact that he was actually pretty pleased about the recent situation. Ace was freed – the marine vice-admiral had no idea how Luffy had managed to do that (but no wonder, Luffy could be pretty stubborn and really confident), and now the two and the other pirates were practically about to escape. Garp felt very relieved although he could feel the glaring from Sengoku on his back.

Suddenly, the Moby Dick crashed further onto the land, shocking everyone present.

"It's Squardo!" one of the Whitebeards shouted in shock. There on the Moby Dick was Squardo, the guy who'd stabbed their father before. He seemed rather ashamed of what he did, but he also seemed ready to fight and lose his life for the others to escape.

"Squardo! Do you really wanna die here? This is pointless. Stop screwing around, you idiot!" another pirate yelled.

"Of course I want to die here! That's what I deserve after doing this horrible thing to father!" Squardo shouted back.

All of sudden, the ship stopped – stopped by none other than Whitebeard himself. The tall pirate stood there, needing only one arm to stop the ship, the other still having a tight grip around his weapon.

"F-Father!" Squardo shouted desperately.

Whitebeard panted. "Squardo… have you ever thought about what a father would feel if he saw his own son dying right in front of his eyes?" he began, getting almost everyone's attention.

"Don't overestimate yourself… as if that little scratch from you could have seriously injured me… you, me, others… we all have our own life expectancy…" He panted hard, coughing.

"No…" Marco murmured, fearing what would come next.

"We came here to rescue Ace and now that we have what we wanted… now that we succeeded, nothing keeps us here anymore." Whitebeard continued seriously.

"I'll give you… one last order as your captain…" he inhaled deeply. "So listen carefully, Whitebeard pirates!"

"F-Father…!" Ace gasped with wide eyes.

Then Whitebeard shouted: "This is where our path will separate! You all must survive and return to the New World! I am only a relic of history! Just go now!"

To say that the Whitebeard pirates were completely shocked was an understatement. Why? Why did Whitebeard intend to sacrifice himself for his sons? Why couldn't they just flee all together?

But they all knew Whitebeard was deadly serious about what he'd said. It was no use arguing with him. Whitebeard had made a decision. As his crew, as his sons, they had to respect and accept it.

Whitebeard attacked the Marineford with a few strong blows, destroying many buildings by doing so. "Go you idiots!" he roared!

Everyone was trying hard to not look back, focusing on fleeing. A huge battleship was ready and the Whitebeard pirates were racing towards it, praying for their captain.

And in the middle of the crowd suddenly appeared Admiral Akainu, killing a few of the pirates with his horrible magma powers. He knew exactly how to get Ace and stepped forwards, insulting Whitebeard viciously.

Of course, Ace stopped and wouldn't let allow Akainu to talk about his captain, his _father_, like that. What Ace felt was more than anger. It was rage. And without thinking about it, he suddenly attacked the admiral in spite of his crewmates' shouts at him to stop.

"Ace, don't! We have to run away!" Luffy shouted but it was no good, Ace was blinded by anger.

Akainu defended himself against Ace's attack, forming a huge magma fist.

"Aaaaargh!" Ace screamed as his hand touched the admiral… and got burnt!

Everyone was shocked. "Ace!" they yelled in horror, fearing for the young man's life.

"H-how?" Ace hissed at the admiral, who smirked. "You may be fire, Fire Fist Ace, but I am _magma_. Magma burns everything!" he explained arrogantly. Ace's eyes widened.

The two of them were shouting at each other, arguing and fighting. Luffy wanted to put a stop at this. He stepped forward to _make_ Ace leave, but suddenly stumbled.

"Luffy-kun! You're at your limits." Jinbei said, sounding concerned. He had a bad feeling about Admiral Akainu wanting to fight Ace.

Luffy panted hard, suddenly feeling as if a huge weight pressed down onto his shoulders to push him onto the ground. Now he felt all the amounts of wounds he'd recieved, feeling deadly exhausted. Everything hurt. Luffy just wanted to pass out right here and there. He got a feeling as if something terrible was about to happen, something that he wanted to avoid. The vivre card he'd gotten from Ace fell down on the ground.

"Oh… Ace's vivre card…" Luffy murmured, bending to pick it up.

Exactly that moment, Akainu turned around while forming another magma fist. " Take a good look now!" he shouted, aiming at Luffy.

"W-wait!" Ace yelled. "Don't! Luffy!"

Luffy froze in his tracks as the huge magma fist neared his body. Suddenly, just when Luffy thought he'd die for sure, Ace was suddenly standing before his little brother, taking the blow.

"…Eh?" Luffy only managed to say in shock, pale as a sheet. This couldn't be! Not Ace! Not his brother! After all, Ace was the only one he had in this world!

Ace gasped and coughed up some blood, feeling nothing but pain. He stumbled forward until he fell but was quickly caught by his brother. Ace's side bled over his skin and clothes. It was too much.

"Ace! Ace, why…?" Luffy was so confused. It all had happened too damn fast! Why hadn't he reacted? Why hadn't he dodged the attack?

"Accee!" his crewmates yelled in pure horror, not wanting to believe what they had just seen.

Luckily, the fist had only hurt Ace's side, but it was really bad. Luffy was trembling all over, cold sweat breaking from every pore as he felt the warm blood of his brother running down his hands.

"Ace! You…!" Luffy stuttered, still completely in shock. The whole world seemed to spin and Luffy wished this all was just a terrible nightmare. He wanted to wake up– this all was too terrible! He didn't want to lose everyone he held dear! Not Ace! Not his precious brother!

But if that wasn't already enough, Akainu, realizing Ace wasn't dead yet, stepped forward to attack again. "Die, Fire Fist Ace and Strawhat Luffy!" he yelled, his dangerous magma fist nearing the brothers. Luffy found he just didn't have the power to move anymore. This was all too much for him.

"NO! STOP IT ALREADY!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Someone stop Akainu!" The Whitebeard crew shouted in horror, their faces pale.

Marco shot forward, trying to save the two, but he knew he wouldn't get there in time. Suddenly someone else stood in Akainu's way, blocking his attack with his bare hands.

Marco froze in surprise upon seeing this.

Ace coughed up some more blood, not able to concentrate on what was happening behind his back. But Luffy, although still in shock, saw everything that was happening right before his eyes. And what he saw was so awful he couldn't find words to describe.

There, right before him and Ace, was no one else than Garp himself, protecting his grandsons.

"G-GRAAAMPS!" Luffy shouted as loud as he could. His world was falling apart. First his nakama, then his own precious brother and then Gramps–

It was truly the worst thing Luffy could imagine happening. It hurt so much… it made him want to die.

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**I'm really sorry if it was too confusing! Hope you liked it, crazzyredhead and all the others of course, too! Let me know what you think about it ;D**

**Reviews, pretty pretty please! :DD**


	2. Luffy's sorrow

**Hey everyone! ;) I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter, crazzyredhead! Thanks for reviewing! Also thank you, SniperKingSogeking, for leaving a review ;) Well to answer your question: There probably isn't going to be a sequel, but that's just because this story will have more chapters than just one ;)**

**Warning: Character death, angst and stuff like that. **

**Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Oda-san! Not mine. –pouts- **

**YXYXYXYXYXY**

**Chapter 2 – Luffy's Sorrow**

_There, right before him and Ace, was no one else than Garp himself, protecting his grandsons._

_"G-GRAAAMPS!" Luffy shouted as loud as he could. His world was falling apart. First his nakama, then his own precious brother and then Gramps–_

_It was truly the worst thing Luffy could imagine happening. It hurt so much… it made him want to die._

"Luffy?" The teen didn't respond, still watching the sunset before him. Although it was a beautiful and amazing sight, Luffy couldn't find anything positive about it. He couldn't find this sunset beautiful anymore. Since _then_… since _it_ had happened, Luffy was more like an emotionless machine. What was he without his nakama? Luffy couldn't speak out loud what was obvious… the truth: nothing.

For some outsiders Luffy seemed as the main 'glue' and 'will' for the Straw Hat crew, the one small but unbelievable strong man who carried his nakamas' and his own huge dreams upon his shoulders. Luffy was their guiding light through the dark ocean. He was the hopeless optimist you could always count on, and although many people thought of him as a fool, Luffy had the power to make impossible things possible.

Luffy was the man who saved them from their horrible and sad pasts – the one who gave them reasons to live, the one who made his nakama smile, who gave them courage, a warm place to live and, mostly, love.

Of course it was correct that Luffy was the most important man of the Straw Hat crew, but had anyone thought about what his nakama did for Luffy? Luffy's nakama were the main reason the captain kept on going, kept on fighting. Not only for his dream but also for his friends, his _family_.

His nakama wouldn't be able to go on without him, and he wouldn't be able to go on without them. The usual proud and strong future pirate king was small and weak without them. He couldn't go on, hadn't the power and will anymore to do so without them.

Only the fight for his brother had seemed to bring a little confidence and willpower back. It had reminded Luffy that there was still someone he cared for, someone he loved from the bottom of his heart. And he got loved back. The rubber boy had been eager and desperate to save Ace. Ironically enough, it was Ace who had to save him.

The Strawhat teen had lost, lost to the man who took his nakama away. He lost to Akainu, who killed his grandfather and almost did the same with Ace. Luffy had lost to the world. He'd known that fact as soon as he felt the warm blood of his brother touching his hands and running down his body. If that hadn't been enough, their own Grandfather died right before his eyes… and it was because of him.

Luffy felt responsible for what had happened back there. He had nightmares about that day every night, over and over again. Ace wished he could do something, anything for his little brother. But there was nothing he could do as long as Luffy himself didn't want to go on anymore.

Luffy's willpower to simply _live_ was gone. He was lost. _Empty_.

Ace sighed as he slowly neared his little brother. The fire user gazed out at the bloody sky, a deep crimson hue on the sunset horizon. It made Ace shudder and think back to what Luffy had told him after the two of them had been alone for the first time after the war.

"_Blood… there was blood everywhere, Ace!"_

"_Everywhere…_"

Ace shook his head. It must've been terrible. He didn't even want to imagine what it had been like. The older D. watched his little brother with sad eyes. Luffy had gone through too much shit. Sure, he himself was terribly sad and upset about the great loss of his father Whitebeard and gramps, but compared to what his brother had lost, it was nothing.

After the war, Luffy and Ace had fallen unconscious. Ace somehow managed to survive, thanks to a certain doctor called Law. This man had saved his and Luffy's lives and brought them to Amazon Lily were they could recover. Their physical wounds healed fast, and soon Ace and Luffy had left the island and docked at another one to rest and be on their own.

Their mental wounds, especially Luffy's, needed time. Those wounds were deep enough to rip him and his nearly unbreakable spirit apart. Ace couldn't help but wonder if his brother _would_ ever heal.

Luffy had told him everything. The whole story of what had happened to him and his crew back at Sabaody Archipelago.

Where should he start? Too many awful things had occurred, and to think that something like that would ever happen to his beloved little brother… Luffy hardly ate anything these days. He hardly showed any emotions, and it was a miracle if he said more than two words a day.

It hurt Ace a lot to see him like this, but who could blame him? Luffy's memories were still too fresh to simply forget or ignore.

Sitting beside his little brother, Ace carefully and gently laid an arm on Luffy's shoulder to show him he was there for him. To show him he was not alone in this world. There was still someone who cared for him and would do everything to make him happy.

Luffy didn't even flinch at the touch. Ace hadn't really expected him to do so.

Luffy's lifeless gaze followed the sun as it set. The infamous Strawhat captain was so skinny, it made Ace wonder where he kept the energy to keep on breathing. To make it simple, Luffy looked terrible. Pale skin, dark circles under his eyes and shaking hands. He looked so weak, so damn weak and helpless. Ace wanted to beat the shit out of those people who made his precious brother like this. And he would. Ace swore to himself he would kill those bastards if he ever met them.

"Luffy… I love you," Ace whispered almost inaudibly, but Luffy caught it. There was no reply, as usual. It had been like that for the past week since they had woken up.

Ace sighed again and closed his eyes, but suddenly they shot open again as he felt something grab his hand. Ace looked down to see it was Luffy. Luffy's weak, thin and trembling hand was in his own. A small smile spread across Ace's lips. That was one small step towards recovery! It made him more than happy to get a response from his little bro.

Ace gently squeezed Luffy's hand, and the other weakly squeezed back. That gave Ace hope. So Luffy was still there! Somewhere under that endless coat of sorrow and despair, Luffy's strong will was still there!

Luffy gulped quietly. This sky only reminded him of what had happened that day… back then, the last thing he'd seen was the sunset and its horrible bloody colors. Luffy still remembered it like it had happened yesterday.

_*Flashback, before Whitebeard war – Sabaody Archipelago*_

"_NOOOO! DAMN IT, STOP THAT ALREADY YOU ASSHOLE!" Luffy shouted, his eyes widened in pure horror. The day had started so peacefully and now there he was, screaming at this marine bastard to stop killing his crew._

_Why had he been so damn slow? He should have been able to save Zoro, he was the captain damn it! It all happened so fast, and there hadn't been time for anyone to react! But he should have been there to protect his wounded first mate._

_Luffy knew he had failed badly, but he didn't want to believe it. He couldn't. What could he do without his first mate? Without Zoro? The world would never be the same without him! Luffy wanted to break down right now and there and just cry his unbelievable pain and sadness out, but there were still precious people he needed to protect. People who needed him now: His crew._

_The marine guy, Luffy was sure that was an admiral, had just appeared out of nowhere and killed Zoro by shooting light rays at him that pierced the first mate three times right through his heart._

_Zoro couldn't react in time to dodge or even shout. As soon as the rays pierced him, his eyes widened as he fell back to the ground, motionless – all the life in his eyes was gone._

_Luffy and the rest of the crew had watched in shock and horror._

_The captain of the Mugiwara pirates gaped, clutching the grass on the ground tightly as he stared at the dead body of his first mate, his close friend. What had… just happened? Oh God, please let it all be just some kind of terrible nightmare! He wanted to wake up NOW!_

_Rayleigh had been too late, and somehow more strong guys showed up and began to fight him. _

_Luffy was so confused and shocked he couldn't think straight anymore. His dazed mind tried to understand, tried to register what was going on. Zoro's cold, dead eyes seemed to pierce through Luffy's heart. The captain shuddered and he gasped._

_The awful word 'dead' was repeating itself over and over again in his mind. Dead. Dead. Dead. Zoro was dead, no longer alive._

_It was truth, no nightmare, no imagination. _

_A horrible shudder went through Luffy's body and he let out a heart-wrenching cry._

"_Zoro! ZOOROO! YOU PROMISED TO BECOME THE WORLD'S GREATEST SWORDSMAN, DIDN'T YOU? ZOROO!" Luffy cried out, tears in his eyes as he bit his lip so hard that blood tripped to the ground. _

_Most of his crew was shocked to no end, covering their mouths in disbelief at the horror. Why? Why did this happen?_

_And all this marine bastard did was just look a little _**bored**_. The moment Luffy looked into the _**bored**_ face of Zoro's murderer, he felt an impossible anger arise inside him. And for the first time in his life, Luffy truly wanted to kill someone. _

_With a desperate battle cry Luffy jumped to his trembling feet, and although his tears blocked most of his sight, he still knew where Kizaru was… right beside the lifeless body of his swordsman. _

"_UWAAAAAAH!" Luffy cried out. He couldn't let that man live. Not after he did that to him and his crew! Zoro was more than a first mate, he was also an awesome swordsman and an amazing friend, like an older brother!_

"_Oh God… no… Zoro!" Nami sobbed uncontrollably, eyes wide. She watched as Luffy raced towards the man who did this horrible crime and dared to call himself 'marine'. _

_As Luffy was about to smash his fist into that man's jaw, he felt an awful pain inside his stomach that took his breath away. Luffy grasped his now bleeding stomach, falling to the ground in pain right beside Zoro._

_Panting hard, Luffy forced himself to look away from the horrible sight of the dead body and looked up at the murderer. Kizaru looked down with no pity in his eyes. How could someone be so cruel and do things like that? Just how? Where was this so-called justice?_

_Suddenly Kizaru was gone, and the next moment Luffy heard a dreadful cry. Moving his head in a slow way, Luffy paled even more upon seeing Kizaru coldly murdering his nakama one after another as if they were nothing but trash._

_Weren't all humans even? There weren't any differences between them! No one was right if he said only marines are good guys and no pirate should be allowed to live! That was just so deadly wrong it made Luffy want to scream._

_Just because they were pirates didn't mean they were evil, right? Kizaru didn't see the difference between them and bloody murderers who kidnapped men and raped women._

_Yes, they were pirates, but they were _not_ trash. Kizaru had no right to do this to them! He had no fucking right to take Luffy's crew away!_

_Sanji's body fell to the ground. Usopp's and Brook's followed close behind._

"_No. No! No! NOOOO!" Luffy was only left to scream in despair and he pushed himself to his feet again, ignoring the painful throbbing of his wound. The terrible aching in his heart gave him enough reason to stand up and fight for his nakama._

_Dashing to the three as fast as he could, he was deadly pale as he looked at them. They didn't move and Luffy's heart stopped. Not Sanji, Usopp, and Brook too!_

"_NOOO!" Luffy cried out, becoming deaf to his surroundings._

_The cook and his sniper were bleeding from their stomachs and were no longer breathing. Brook's skull was crushed into thousands of pieces and Luffy put a hand over his mouth to not throw up. More tears began to sting in his eyes and this time he let them freely fall down his face. He kneeled down and sobbed quietly for a few seconds, completely forgetting about Kizaru and his wound for a moment. It was a mistake he would regret for the rest of his life._

_Just as Luffy was crying over his three nakama's bodies, Kizaru seized his chance and shot over to Nami and Franky who froze immediately._

"_No!" Nami managed to gasp weakly. They had been so happy this morning, and now… was this really the end of the infamous Strawhat crew? They had fought great enemies, hadn't they? They went through so much, through so many dangerous adventures! And now… would it all end abruptly just because of this man?_

_Franky protectively threw himself before Nami as the deadly ray shot him dead within seconds. But the ray went through him and met the poor navigator too. Both of them screamed in terror, pain and shock and Franky collapsed, dead before he hit the ground. Nami fell to her knees, grasping her side in pain._

_The orange-haired beauty looked up slowly with fear in her eyes as Kizaru lifted his finger to shoot again. Luffy noticed this and forced his legs to move towards his navigator, his _friend_. He needed to save her!_

_Nami noticed this and stretched her hand out, tears dwelling in her eyes as she screamed his name out. Luffy yelled back and just when their fingertips were about to touch, Kizaru shot and another precious life was taken away forever. Luffy gasped loudly and fell to the ground, grabbing the shoulders of his navigator to shake her awake._

_She was dead and would never wake up again. But he didn't want it to be true. He would rather it be _him_ who was dead. The hot tears were uncontrollably falling onto Nami's pale face and Luffy couldn't speak, even if he was trying. Why was he such a terrible, fucking pathetic captain? He shouldn't have let that happen, not at all! _

_And Kizaru didn't stop his brutal murdering. Chopper was the next one, and even though he was in his monster form, he was no match for the beams. Luffy didn't have the strength to cry out anymore as he could only watch._

_Now only Robin was left, and the archaeologist made a run for it. It was pointless to run away from a man who was as fast as the light itself, but Robin did what she always did when she was scared. She ran away as fast as her legs would allow her to._

_Luffy gently laid Nami back to the grass and jumped up. Not his last nakama! Not Robin too! Luffy let out a roar of despair and sorrow._

"_Luffy! Help me!" she yelled and the captain could see the fear in the woman's eyes. He dashed forward and tried to attack the bastard, but the marine admiral was quicker. Luffy gasped, and he slumped to the grassy ground, crying._

_His body was trembling all over and he didn't want to believe it. This all… was too terrible! Luffy cried loudly, not bothering that there were still people around. He could care less. He'd just lost his entire crew. He had failed miserably, not only as the captain but also as a friend. He should have been able to protect them, and yet he had to watch everyone's life being taken away._

_All his willpower was gone in an instant and Luffy only wanted one thing so badly: to die. Luffy silently prayed that this asshole would step over to him and just sent a beam through his heart. Maybe he would see his precious nakama again that way._

_Sobbing and trembling uncontrollably, Luffy grabbed his hair and began to pull it out. The tears were running down his face. He felt broken. And there was this horrible, painful emptiness inside him he wanted to go away. It was too much for him to bear at once. _

_Looking up with red eyes and a deadly pale face, his hands still shivering, he saw a strange man before him who looked a lot like a bear. The man said something to him, but Luffy was deaf to the world. His vision started to blur. The last thing he saw was the sky. It was bloody crimson as the sun began to set._

_It was beginning to get dark. A new night would start soon. But for Luffy, for Luffy a whole world had been destroyed._

_*End Flashback*_

A sob escaped Luffy's mouth, and the Strawhat teen felt tears sting in his eyes at the memory he wanted to forget. It was too painful, but he couldn't help it. Ace gently stroked his back and tried to reassure him with gentle words, but again Luffy's dazed mind didn't register them.

The last rays of the sun were shining into both brothers' faces. It was truly a breathtaking sight. But not for Luffy.

**YXYXYXYXYXY**

**Well, I hope this chapter helped to clear the confusing and answered a few questions. If there are more questions or complaints, feel free to tell me!**

**Damn…believe me, this was the most depressing thing I've ever written! And it truly wasn't easy! Poor Luffy! But even though I hope you liked reading, please let me know if you did so. **

**Reviews are always greatly appreciated =3**


	3. Stand up!

**Hi everyone! ;) To the reviewers: **

**Hey everyone ;) Thanks for the two reviews!**

**crazzyredhead: Hmm you will see later ;) It was and I guess this chapter is going to be sad again... thanks that's great! :) Hope you like this chapter as well!**

**SniperKingSogeking0341: Yeah it's pretty sad isn't it? ;( **

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece!**

**YXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXY**

**Chapter 3 – Stand up**

"Hey Lu," Ace started, still sitting beside his little brother, "Thank you."

Luffy first remained silent. Ace thought that Luffy was still in his own thoughts and not really present but truth be told: The former strawhat captain was just a bit taken aback by this sudden statement.

"…for saving me." Ace quietly added and waited for his brother's response, if he would say anything at all.

Luffy on the other hand had no idea what to say and waited for Ace to maybe continue, but a few minutes of silence passed and soon the first stars were to be seen in the now dark sky. Luffy's gaze slowly wandered from the ocean up to the sky, to the stars.

They looked so beautiful, brightly glistening like diamonds and for a single moment Luffy forgot about his sorrow and sadness.

Ace sighed from the bottom of his throat and waited a few more seconds before he turned to look directly into his little brother's eyes. Luffy did the same and soon they found each other staring into the other's eyes. Ace bit his lip.

Luffy's eyes looked full of pain and so… empty. It was really sad to see, and Ace hated it. He hated how sad and quiet Luffy was now, he hated himself for not being strong enough to kill Akainu, and he hated the fact that Luffy's precious nakama were brutally murdered right before his eyes. Luffy could have been killed too, and Ace… he hadn't been able to protect him or even help him.

All the life and determination was gone, the light that shone in Luffy's usual bright eyes had completely vanished and left lifeless and dark eyes. No happiness, no curiosity, nothing but sadness.

Luffy didn't say anything, seemingly lost in thoughts again. Ace wondered if he should say something to him or just let him be, but the next moment Luffy seemed paler than ever.

"Luffy… is everything okay?" The older of the two carefully asked. The moment the question left his lips Ace realized how stupid it sounded. Of course, nothing was okay. How could he ask such a dumb thing?

How could his little brother be okay after that? After something like what Luffy had been through, no one would be the same. Any spirit would break after experiencing something like that.

Luffy began to pant louder and his eyes widened slightly, sweat began to form on his forehead and ran down. Ace knew what that meant. Luffy was having a flashback. The fire user quickly but gently grabbed his brother's shoulders.

"Luffy? Luffy, you with me? It's okay, it's okay. I'm here." He began to tell his brother and tried to reassure him that everything would be okay now. Luffy shouldn't be remembering that day again, not yet. He needed a lot more time.

Luffy gasped as he inwardly watched every single scene before his inner eye from what happened back at Sabaody Archipelago , being completely helpless. He had loved his nakama more than anything and cared for them from the bottom of his heart and… it couldn't be true. Luffy closed his eyes tightly shut as he felt the tears stinging in his eyes and he slumped forward.

Ace caught his trembling brother and hugged him tightly. No words needed to be spoken as Luffy soon began to calm down a little. Quiet sobs were to be heard and the sound of the sea gently lapping the shore.

Ace let his chin rest on his brother's black hair and looked into the sky. What could he say to comfort his brother? Luffy really was confused and exhausted, mentally and physically. He needed to be treated in a very gentle way.

"Hey Luffy," The big brother began as his little sibling sat in his arms, face turned to the ocean.

Luffy didn't answer. He'd hardly spoken any words at all. He was staring into the dark blue, almost black ocean where the stars and the moon were glistening at the surface of the water. It was a cool night.

Ace sighed silently and he tightened his gentle grip around Luffy, giving him warmth. "Have you ever wondered what the stars are made for? Why are they there?" he asked and it was just a whisper but Luffy caught it.

The strawhat teen slowly looked up to the pitch black sky where the only light was coming from the stars and the pale moon. He thought about what Ace had asked him and quietly nodded. "Shanks…" Luffy's voice cracked a little from lack of use, but he went on.

"Shanks once told me a story about them back then in Fuusha Village… he said that every person on the earth had one or more stars who only shone for him. Shanks told me that those stars were beloved people… who have died and left behind someone precious…" Luffy deeply inhaled to keep him from crying, then he continued quietly.

"And then they get a place up there… from where they can look down on the earth and watch or protect the person… left behind." Luffy took Ace's hand and held it tightly.

Ace absent-mindedly bit his lip and sighed again. "That's a beautiful story Shanks told you," he said. "They just look like some… bright spots on a black background, don't they? But in reality they are millions and millions of kilometers away… unreachable for us. But still… still they are there and shine brightly."

The coldness of the night made both of them shudder, but they were too caught up at the moment. Both were quiet, each of them caught in their own thoughts. Then suddenly Luffy's quiet voice broke the silence.

"I wonder if Sabo is up there… and gramps and… do you think my… nakama are watching right now…?" Luffy's voice cracked again at the end.

Ace looked sadly at one group of stars that shone very brightly right now. He had never noticed them before and a small smile was to be seen upon his lips.

"I'm sure, Luffy, they are there… see this group of stars? They make sure you are not alone… even though you may feel this way at the moment."

Luffy's glance wandered to the ground. "I…" he started but didn't exactly know what to say. Actually, there were too many things on his mind he wanted to say and talk about. He just didn't know where to start. Or how.

"I'm… weak." It suddenly blurted out of Luffy's mouth and he bit his tongue, feeling another tear slowly rolling down his cheek. Ace looked down at his little brother with a shocked face.

"Oh god, Luffy!" he said, feeling so damn sorry for him, "Don't talk nonsense! You are not weak, not at all!" Ace said firmly. He wanted to make sure his brother understood.

"But I couldn't protect them! I couldn't protect my own crew and they… were taken away from me, one by one! I as the captain should have died and no one else! Me, not them! Why didn't they take me instead? And Gramps, too! He died and I couldn't do _anything_! He shouldn't have died for… me!" Luffy cried and his brother bit his lip as he listened.

But the next thing Luffy said nearly broke Ace's heart as he heard that.

"Why am I still alive?" Luffy let his tears freely fall now, he couldn't hold them back any longer. It was just too much.

"Luffy… don't say that, please don't say that! You know very well that what lies in the past can't be changed, so don't say what _could_ _have_ happened! It's no use, you hear me? It happened, you can't change that and thinking about how you could have saved them won't change your situation!" Ace practically lost his nerves, he couldn't stand hearing his little brother so depressed and … that he blamed himself for everything that happened.

Luffy continued to cry and rubbed his eyes, not caring if his brother saw him crying or not. He let out all the sadness, hurt and sorrow he had been trying to hide so desperately over the past days.

"Luffy listen, it was all just a really, really bad coincidence! It may hurt a lot, but you have to let go of this, of the past! You have to look forward, straight into the future and go on! Life goes on, as hard as it may sound! Everybody experiences some bad shit someday, many people cry and drown in their sorrow and die all alone in a dark place… but the difference between them and you is that you are not alone!" Inhaling deeply, Ace continued.

"Damn it Luffy, I would never ever forgive myself if something happened to you, if you died! What would I do without you? You are my little brother and thanks to you I was able to live on, don't you understand?" Now even Ace cried, hugging his brother.

"Things like that happen, Luffy. It just happens," he added in a sad whisper. Actually, Ace didn't really think of what he was saying, it just came out of his mouth. But every word was true.

"I know your loss is huge and I will probably never understand your sorrow… it must be unbearable. But I'm here with you! Let me help you… talk to me, please Luffy! Don't hide away in your grief…" Ace took in a shuddering breath. Then he waited for a few minutes to let himself and Luffy calm down.

"B-but they are… gone… forever." Luffy sobbed into his hands, trembling like a leaf in the wind.

Now Ace slowly looked up again, facing the stars.

"Look, take a look up there." The young man with the freckles began softly. "Have you ever seen a star vanish? The stars will always be there, they will never leave. _They_ are still there although you might not see them! But…" The older of the two gently let go of his brother's hand. Luffy's eyes were shadowed by his hair but the tears on his cheeks glistened in the moonlight.

"…Can't you feel them? They are there." Ace slowly and carefully stood up, lifting his brother up. Luffy stood in the pale moonlight on shaky legs and his body was trembling all over.

"W-what…?" he managed to say in a weak voice. Ace gently smiled at the younger one, laying a warm hand onto his shoulder. "They are still here. Feel. Listen." he only said and took his hand away from Luffy's thin shoulder, stepping back to leave him some space.

Luffy first wanted to collapse and cry, but his brother's voice stopped him from doing so. His exhausted mind registered Ace's soft words. _Feel_… _listen… they are here…_

As Luffy stood there his sad glance fell upon the bright stars again and he stopped crying. It felt as if someone was warmly smiling at him, and it wasn't Ace. Blinking his tears back, Luffy suddenly realized what Ace had meant by _feeling_ them.

Luffy gulped, all the coldness was suddenly disappearing. Then the wind blew into his face and the young strawhat teen could have sworn he had heard something… or more some voices, they were too familiar.

It somehow touched something deep inside him, something he hadn't felt in forever. Something he had forgotten that it was there, it had turned to stone not too long ago. Luffy waited and heard something. That thing inside him… it was beating. Warmth washed all over his body and he stopped trembling.

The beating got louder and sounded stronger… suddenly Luffy realized what it was… it was his own heart. Luffy felt alive again. And the heavy weight that had been resting on his shoulders, which had wanted to crush him down mercilessly and had almost succeed, was gone in an instant.

The young strawhat teen didn't understand how this was happening nor what exactly was going on but one thing he understood: his crew, his precious nakama, were telling him to stand up again!

Luffy was half-amazed and half-sad about it. Sure, the sadness about his loss of his nakama would always be there. But Ace had been right… he wasn't alone. He had a big brother who deeply cared about him and protected him. And he still had his nakama, he might not be able to see them, but they weren't _completely_ gone.

And what they told him was right. He had to go on, to get up again. He had to fight again!

As he wiped his tears away, he bit his lip and clenched his fists, looking at the glistening stars above him.

And then he managed a small smile.

Ace smiled at that, too, and felt another tear roll down his cheek but this time it was a tear of pure happiness. His little brother was slowly coming back again! Ace wanted to hug Luffy but waited, wanting to give Luffy a little time to register everything.

Luffy, a small smile on his pale lips, sobbed, both happiness and sadness mixed up together. He then lifted one fist, clenched tightly, and his sad smile became bigger.

"I will! I WILL!" he yelled into the sky.

And Ace knew that Luffy not only found his will to fight for his dreams, his determination, the self-confidence and courage again, but he also found something else, the most important thing:

His smile.

**YXYYXYXYX**

**I hope you all enjoyed reading ;-) It was really different to write, but here it is! Oh and just in case if you were wondered: The story of Shanks about the stars is not from Lion King^^ Well, it may sound similar, but I heard of that kind of thing from someone else before and decided to use it in this story =)**

**To everyone who reads this: Review, please! Reviews are always greatly appreciated! =3 **

**See you ;)**


	4. A new beginning

**Hi everyone! ;) To the reviewers: **

**SniperKingSogeking0341: Aw it's great you liked it ;) **

**crazzyredhead: Thank you! That's really good to hear, that cheered me up! :D **

**Thank you very much for reviewing you two! It's always cheering me up to get some positive comments! =)**

**Oh, and I've noticed that lots of people faved this story! Thanks to you all :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. **

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

**Chapter 4 – A new beginning**

A few weeks passed by and soon Luffy managed to recover a little. He seemed to speak a little more than before. Ace would never have thought he would be so damn happy to hear his little brother talking, although it wasn't much. But at least that showed Luffy himself _wanted_ to recover.

Not too long ago, Luffy was like a ghost, not present mentally but not quite away either. He understood everything you told him, but you couldn't expect an answer. And now there he was, talking to Ace as if he had never done anything else. You could still hear the hurt and the sadness in Luffy's voice, but he showed signs of life. That was what mattered to Ace.

The older brother was sure that from now on, things would get better. Slowly but surely.

Luffy also began to eat more and more. Ace loved watching him eating. It might sound bizarre, but Ace couldn't help it. Luffy looked so skinny and weak the weeks before, since all that bad shit had happened to him. Mugiwara Luffy just hadn't had the will to eat anything. It had been hard enough for him to force himself to gulp down anything edible, trying not to throw it up.

Ace's little brother had lost lots of weight, and the fire user had wondered how Luffy even did manage to move or where he got the energy to do so.

But now the strawhat boy was currently enjoying his second meal this morning.

Luffy had suffered greatly. It really had hurt Ace to see him like that. But now Luffy looked much healthier again, getting more color and putting on weight. He wasn't as pale as a sheet now, the healthy tan coming back his face. All these things cheered Ace up a little, even though they were small changes. But each one was a small miracle for Ace.

It was hard work for both Ace and Luffy to cheer up as the younger of the two still seemed rather depressed sometimes. But who could really blame him? It was a difficult situation and the two D. brothers just tried to get over everything that had happened. They didn't want to forget, but they wanted to be able to deal with it.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

It had been four weeks now since the incident… three weeks since Luffy and Ace had woken up again. And a few things had changed and turned better.

At the moment, Ace and his little brother were sitting around their fire and eating some meat from an animal they had caught in the jungle of the small island. It was already dark and the moon shone brightly. Luckily it had hardly rained since they got to this island. The last thing Ace needed now was some depressing weather.

Luffy was eating slowly and seemed deep in thoughts, his gaze focused somewhere on the ground. Ace inwardly wondered what his little brother was thinking about and instantly hoped it wasn't one of those terrible flashbacks. An old memory of that incident would only bring him and Luffy down, even if the younger one didn't talk about it – Ace still could feel if something was terribly off and automatically felt sorry for the boy.

It was because of the special bond the two brothers shared – Ace and Luffy felt each other's pain and happiness, they shared each other's feelings and were always there for the other.

Minutes of uncomfortable silence passed and soon the quietness became too tensed for Ace and his curiosity and worry won as finally the question blurted out of his mouth. "Luffy, what is wrong?" It was a simple question, and even though Ace had spoken in such a soft tone, Luffy flinched visibly. His daydreaming roughly ending, the rubber teen blinked in surprise and a little shock too, wide brown eyes glanced into the soft ones of Ace. Luffy then frowned but first didn't say anything.

Then Ace smiled gently at his younger brother, his most precious treasure he would carefully protect with all of his might. Luffy knew that. He had an amazing brother, Ace who would gladly give his life for him, always and without thinking twice. But maybe… this was just exactly the problem. Maybe this was what Luffy bothered so much.

Ace didn't really realize that and just kept on worrying, not thinking deeper for once. He asked again, gently as possible. "Hey Luffy… if you want to talk about something that's bothering you then go on. I will listen and maybe I can help you, you know? Swallowing your sadne–"

"It's okay Ace. Really, it's not about what happened at Sabaody Island or about… gramps. It's alright." Luffy just cut his brother off in mid-sentence and Ace rose his brows in surprise, mouth still opened.

"Eh…? Not about your nakama or gramps?" Ace asked a bit dumbfounded and caused Luffy to cringe at the mention of his crew and his grandfather but didn't say anything.

Ace watched his younger brother with narrowed eyes, then he sighed in defeat. "Okay, if you don't want to talk about it then you don't have to. But if you want to–"

Again, the older was cut off abruptly again. "Ace, please don't overreact. I know I can talk to you whenever I want. It's okay." Luffy said again, not meeting Ace in the eye.

"Fine, I was just trying to be nice…" Ace muttered as he lifted his hands in defense, not wanting to disturb his little brother anymore. Then, suddenly an idea popped up in his mind and Ace's glance shot back to the silhouette of his little brother. So, that was what Luffy was wondering about. No wonder he seemed so deep in thoughts.

Ace smiled softly, standing up. Luffy first didn't notice his brother's movements and continued to stare into the fire absentmindedly. Then Ace stretched and let a yawn escape his lips. The twenty-year-old slowly made his way over to the other and settled down beside Luffy, an arm hanging loosely around the younger's shoulders.

Suddenly Luffy's eyes widened a little and Ace felt him flinch, the big brown eyes now staring into Ace's face.

Ace gently ruffled the seventeen-year-old's black messy hair and grinned, trying to lighten the tensed atmosphere that was currently surrounding the two.

"Luffy," the fire user began. Luffy silently bit his lip, staring at the ground again. He knew this tone very well – it meant Ace had found out what Luffy was thinking about. It sounded weird, but it was due to the strong brotherly bond they shared.

There are many siblings who don't understand each other's actions or opinions and often argued with each other or even fought each other, but Luffy and Ace were another story. These two loved each other more than anyone and no one could properly understand their relationship beside the two. Even if they argued sometimes, deep inside them they knew they weren't really mad at each other. But not only that, the two had another wonderful ability – to know what the other was thinking.

Ace – most of the time– could read Luffy like an open book. He could look right through his younger brother's false mask and tell whether he's telling the truth or not. It was the same for Luffy.

Luffy should have known he couldn't keep his thoughts hidden from Ace, even though he hadn't talked about it. He grumbled half-heartedly in defeat and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah?" he asked without looking up, wanting Ace to finish eventually.

"You are worrying about the future, aren't you?" A short nod by Luffy followed and the older ruffled Luffy's hair again.

"You wonder if I will go back to my nakama? To the rest of the Whitebeard crew and leave you alone?" This time, Luffy blankly stared at the dusty ground without nodding and Ace realized the way he had asked maybe hadn't been the best.

Inhaling sharply to not let regret take over, Ace tried to ignore the fact he hurt his brother a bit by saying 'back to _my nakama_' and asked again.

"And you wouldn't want to be a member of the Whitebeard crew?" Luffy hesitated, then he nodded again, this time slowly. Ace tightened the grip around his brother's shoulders and let the silence between them settle down for a moment.

Truth be told, Ace had already known all the answers to these questions. It was obvious. Luffy wouldn't want to be part of his father's crew.

Luffy, not daring to look his brother into the eye as he feared Ace would see his sadness, began to nibble nervously on his bottom lip. A bad habit of his, but at the moment he could care less.

Of course he didn't want to become a Whitebeard pirate. It was not the fact that their old captain, Whitebeard himself, had died and probably Marco was going to be next captain. No. It was something completely different. If Luffy joined them, his brother Ace, Jozu, Marco and everyone else, if he joined the Whitebeard pirates, then that would mean he had given up on his old crew. Or worse, he would feel like betraying his old crew, his _own nakama_! Hell, he had been responsible for them and had miserably failed as a captain to protect his dearest friends.

Luffy was the only survivor of the strawhat crew… the crew he himself had formed with his own hands. He would feel as if he just threw them away like an old broken toy or trash that wasn't needed anymore. He couldn't go on as if nothing had happened and just join another crew!

That was something he would never dare to do, no matter what. Even if that meant living alone.

"Luffy? Don't space out like that again." His older brother softly reminded him and squeezed his shoulder affectionately. Luffy quickly shook his head to get rid of those depressing thoughts and looked his brother straight into the eye, his gaze suddenly determined and full of pride.

Ace almost jerked a little at that unexpected gaze of his little brother. The older of the two quickly caught himself again and cleared his throat, trying to get used to those staring eyes that were now completely focused on him.

But before Ace could continue or even inhale to do so, Luffy interrupted him and his steady and surprisingly strong sounding voice startled Ace once again.

"Ace, do you plan on going back to your nakama?" Luffy asked and his gaze didn't vanish, as well as the self-confidence. Luffy's face then softened a little – only a little – and added, "You are an important member to them after all." It was barely audible but the older had caught it. Luffy still didn't look away, the gaze completely focused on his brother.

But Ace knew it was fake. Luffy tried to look strong and didn't want Ace to think he was a weakling and a crybaby. Ace could read between the lines and it was obvious to him what Luffy was saying.

Not '_do you plan on goin_g _back to your nakama'_, or _'You are an important member to them'_. Luffy clearly had said '_do you plan on leaving me alone?_' and '_You are important to me_'.

The sad undertone had betrayed Luffy's strong gaze and the boy still didn't want to give in as he bit his lip. Luffy feared his older brother's answer.

But he had asked Ace this question. It couldn't have been held back any longer no matter how hard Luffy bit his tongue. He had asked and now he had to face it, whether Ace's answer was positive or negative news to him.

Minutes passed, and Ace quietly studied his little brother who seemed to tense more and more, not able to wait for an answer. Luffy was already bleeding, still biting down on his bottom lip mercilessly. Why was Ace hesitating? Had he asked something wrong? Had he done something wrong again?

Thousands of questions shot through the teen's confused mind and he was desperately trying to not jump and strangle the answer out of his brother… wait, what was he thinking? This was Ace, _his_ Ace, his only brother! The only close relative and friend he had left in this world!

Luffy gasped and shook his head, not noticing the worried looks he got from the older man. Grabbing his aching forehead, Luffy closed his eyes tightly shut. He felt so tired. He just wanted to fall asleep right there. But not before he heard Ace's reply.

Ace decided to not ask if everything was okay. Luffy had heard that too often the past days and both knew everything was terribly wrong, so why always bothering to ask? Luffy was deadly exhausted and still weak, it was no wonder after what he had experienced.

Ace then grinned like a little kid, giving Luffy a nice look at his teeth. Something clicked into Luffy's dizzy mind and he thought the answer would be what he always got to hear from him or Sabo when he was younger: _Of course I will stay. I would never let a wuss like you all alone. _

Yeah, he was a wuss… Luffy clenched his fists as tightly as he could, now he broke the eye contact with his brother and stared, once again, at the ground.

"Luffy, are you stupid?" Ace began and Luffy's gaze saddened. "As if I could live on without my little brother. I need you now, in case you haven't noticed." Ace said with his cheeky grin upon his face, almost looking like Luffy that way. Like the old Luffy with his trademark grin, but those days seemed so far away now.

Luffy sighed, shoulders slumping down a little. Yeah, just what he had expecte– huh? Luffy's head shot up and he eyed his brother with wide eyes. "W-what?" he stammered, unsurely. His brother needed _him_? It wasn't the other way round?

Ace only nodded and his grin turned into a small smile. "Baka Luffy. We both need each other at the moment, of course I won't leave. What would become of me if you weren't around?"

Luffy wanted to answer something, thank his brother or say anything, but his throat was drier than the Sandora Desert. He found he was literally speechless.

That only left him one option. Luffy slumped forward and hugged his brother. Ace smiled and returned the hug, feeling his mind setting at ease. Not too long after that, soft snores were to be heard and Ace knew Luffy had fallen asleep. This time it was a peaceful sleep without those terrible nightmares.

Yeah, Luffy was getting better. Slowly. Step by step. And just now Luffy had taken another huge step towards recovery, even if he didn't know it.

Ace knew that if both of them would stay together, then they could only win, no matter what kind of enemy they were facing.

For now at least, things were looking up again.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXX**

"Training?"

"Yes, training." Ace answered, hands on his hips. Luffy blinked at his big brother for a few minutes, then scratched his head.

Another week had passed since the peaceful campfire, and Luffy's and Ace's wounds had healed nicely.

"You mean… you want to continue being a pirate?" Luffy knew how stupid the question sounded, but at the moment he was too surprised to think.

"Of course. Luffy, we can't give up like that! You've always stood up again, no matter what kind of bad shit had happened to you! And you want to continue, don't you? I can see it in your eyes."

Luffy was silent for a few seconds and Ace noticed Luffy's hands were trembling slightly. "I know…" Luffy mumbled, "I know. _They_ want me to continue." Luffy didn't need to say anything more. Ace understood and nodded. "But Ace… if only we two form up a crew… then… then…" Luffy trailed off. But Ace knew what Luffy was trying to say.

_Then who is gonna be the captain?_

Sighing, Ace realized Luffy was nowhere near ready for that yet. Captain… Luffy couldn't bear being a captain of a crew again, even if Ace was his only crewmember. Not after he still blamed himself for his crew's death.

"Naaaa…" Ace started, again sounding much like the old Luffy, "We don't need a captain. We'll decide whatever we have to decide together, ne?" Ace said, and winked at Luffy who nodded slowly.

"You see, you have always fought against the whole world. And you have never failed. Never. Not in the past, not now, and you won't in future." Ace waited for a few seconds to let Luffy register the words, then he continued.

"And at the moment, the world is trying to crush you down once again. And it seems as if it's winning. But you can't let it win! We can't let it win, and you know that! It is no shame to fall down, but it's an even worse shame to not stand up again." Ace said.

He knew his little brother needed small encouraging speeches like that every now and then, and it really helped Luffy to recover from his traumatic experience.

Luffy looked up again, a small smile forming on his lips. "Yeah. Let's fight together," he said, louder now. Ace smiled back at him. Luffy was so glad he had an amazing and loving brother like him, one he could truly rely on. Ace was always there for him. He would never leave him.

"That's right. You know, I can smell adventure!" Ace said, grinning. "It's only you and me against the rest of the world then!"

Luffy blinked, then his smile grew a little bigger. "Aye!" he said almost cheerfully, making Ace more than happy.

_And we will take revenge. We will kick Blackbeard's and Akainu's and Kizaru's sorry asses! _

Both of them inwardly thought this but didn't speak it out loud, not wanting to ruin the happy atmosphere.

It would take time for them to return. They were not ready to show themselves to the world again, not as they were now. The world had tried to kill them, and almost succeeded. It had treated them mercilessly and screamed at them and almost torn them apart.

But soon… soon the roar of the two D. brothers would hit the whole world with full force… and it would be enormously powerful.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

**Well, hopefully you enjoyed reading ;) Well, I won't update next week, because I'm on my graduating trip in Prague from Monday to Friday! :D Sorry for that! And for now: **

**R & R please! =))**


	5. The brother's comeback

**Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait! I had a great time during my graduation trip but after that school kept on annoying me as we wrote some tests -.- There's lots of things for me to learn as soon I will have to write my final exams (a few more weeks). Anyways, here's finally the next chapter for you!**

**Special thanks ****to the two who left such amazing reviews!**

**crimeson-plasma: That's great! Thank you! I hope you will like this chapter too ;D**

**crazzyredhead: Thanks! I'm really happy to hear you like it :) Well, who knows? ;) Thank you! Hopefully you enjoy this chapter =D**

**Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistake!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. If I would, then I guess the drawings would look awful … and it would never be so awesome like it is now!**

**YXYXYXYXYXYX**

**Chapter 5 – The brother's comeback **

"Luffy?" Ace softly knocked onto the younger one's head to get his attention. Luffy was sitting at the cliff, staring out at the ocean – that's what Luffy did when he wasn't training.

"Yeah Ace?" Luffy's chocolate brown eyes blinked up to his older brother. Ace had to smile a little at his brother's huge and curious looking eyes.

After a few weeks of the exhausting training they both completed every day, this was their first short break. Ace had decided to not overdo it. After all, they first had to get used to that amount of activity. Plus, the mental exhaustion was still there, the sudden shock of very dear friends and family dying was too big to just recover so quickly.

As it seemed, time helped Luffy and Ace to overcome what had happened, and the younger of the two really was doing better with each day. Ace loved to watch. Finally, the seventeen-year-old was showing some life inside him again!

"Errr…" Shit. What did he want to say again? Ace inwardly slapped his own cheek for forgetting his question, then he shook his head at his own stupidity.

"What?" Luffy's brows knitted together in confusion, as he didn't get Ace actions. Was it a new plan of Ace? What was his older brother planning now?

Just as the older one was about to reply, he blinked and closed his mouth again. There were dark shadows under Luffy's eyes which got Ace worried. "What's this? Didn't you sleep last night?" the freckled young man asked, frowning a little. Luffy turned his head away, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I did sleep, but not much. Things were bothering me." Luffy replied in all honesty, not even trying to lie to his brother. They had had this scene before, Luffy trying to deny how sad he felt, and Ace finding out in the end. So why not tell the truth from the beginning? It was easier that way. Besides, the strawhat boy hated to lie. Especially to Ace.

"…Geeze, Luffy…" Ace sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. Then he patted the younger one's head much like someone would pat a cat, shaking his head once again. Luffy, however seemed to enjoy the touch, and waited patiently for his brother to go on.

"You know you can – no, you _have_ to wake me up if you feel bad. Then we can talk about it. And if you don't feel like talking then it's okay too, but just let me know. The bad feeling won't go away if you continue to swallow everything. Sadness, anger, exhaustion. Got that?" Ace said firmly but continued to ruffle Luffy's soft hair. He didn't want to make Luffy feel as if Ace was his boss. It was just meant as an advice, Luffy had to get that.

Luffy gritted his teeth and stared stubbornly down towards the ocean. Then he sighed. It sounded as if Luffy had held his breath and just let all the air out at once, by now he was completely relaxed. He had no idea why he had felt like that all of sudden… he felt so…

"Tense." Luffy said, getting Ace's attention with that, "I feel strangely tense today."

Ace nodded and seemed deep in thought, then he looked out to the sea as well. "Hmm… maybe you need someone to beat up?" he said his thoughts out loud, surprising the younger.

"Eh?" Luffy voiced intelligently, blinking up to his brother. "What do you mean by that? I don't feel like hurting anyone at the moment…" he drifted off.

"Maybe you do unconsciously. It's all regret, anger, sadness and whatever have mixed together these past weeks, and now you just need to let it all out at once. Sounds logical, doesn't it?" Ace explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Luffy nibbled on his bottom lip for a few seconds, thinking about Ace's words as he tried to get the meaning of them. "You think so?" he finally asked back, not sure what else to say.

Then suddenly Luffy realized how hilarious Ace's little speech had sounded, as if his older brother was some silly wannabe professor, analyzing his own behavior and talking awkwardly like before.

"Well, umm, yeah!" Ace nodded, completely sure of himself. Luffy suddenly had to grin slightly at that. Then his smile vanished in an instant and the younger of the two stood up, looking up to Ace in an arrogant way, arms crossed.

Ace looked dumbfounded at this sudden and weird action and was literally speechless for a moment. Luffy continued with his strange behavior and took a small step forwards, bumping with his crossed arms against Ace's chest. The fire user stumbled a little backwards and blinked at Luffy in wonder. What was the strawhat teen up to?

"Luffy…? What the heck?" Ace asked, truly surprised by this. Had he upset Luffy? Had he said anything wrong? Oh gosh, what had he done?

While Ace was cudgeling his brain for what he could have done wrong to upset Luffy, the seventeen-year old put his arms on his waist and made an extremely upset looking face.

Then Luffy stuck his nose into the air, closed his eyes and 'hmphed', sounding offended.

"And I thought I had a true expert standing in front of me, but alas! It's just another quack."

This statement caused Ace to open his jaw in surprise and wonder, then he finally got it as Luffy continued to look like a snob, annoyed and arrogant.

Ace however had to admit that Luffy could be a fantastic actor if he wanted to. He decided to play his little game.

"So? You think so, sir? Then I am really sorry to tell you that you have received false information." Ace crossed his arms before his chest as well and took a huge step forward, touching Luffy's stomach with his arms now.

"I am – if you'll excuse me – the best qualified and world-qualified quack on all the Blues!" Ace stated arrogantly, lifting his nose into the air.

Luffy narrowed his eyes, stretching his neck a little and standing on his toes by now to keep up with his brother, stared into the other's eyes. Then he replied: "So, you are? Well, I have never heard of your name – what was it by the way? So I am reaaally sorry to tell you that you, my highly-honored professor, are completely unknown by me, Monkey D. Luffy!"

Ace bit his lip to keep himself from bursting out loud, but to his luck Luffy burst out first and started to laugh like a maniac. Shortly after that Ace joined happily and soon both of them were holding their stomachs. What a stupid situation, even though it was so funny to them!

For anyone else, this whole situation would have been too silly and childish to laugh about. Such a little prank would have been regarded as boring and foolish. But not for the D. brothers. They had the awesome ability to laugh about anything positive. For example if some silly plan failed, if something totally unexpected happened, or simply if they were in a funny situation. Even if their humor and joy hadn't showed up since all that bad shit happened, now they found this situation really amusing!

"Y-you shoulda seen your face! Hilarious!" Luffy managed to say between giggles.

Ace chuckled. "I b-bet you would've laughed your ass off even m-more if you had s-seen your own ludicrous grimace, baka! Haha!"

It felt amazingly good to laugh like that, like a little child. Ace and Luffy were laughing so hard that there were tears running down both their faces. And the older of the two enjoyed hearing his little brother laugh again.

Not too long after that, Luffy and Ace were gasping for air, lying on their backs and staring up at the blue sky. Such small laughing attacks reminded both of them of their childhood with Sabo.

Sometimes, when the three of them were extremely bored and wondering what to do, Luffy just asked innocently: "How 'bout laughing a bit?"

That simple statement made the two older brothers giggle a little. Luffy was so naive, kinda cute. Then they made the stupidest jokes and grimaces and just laughed their asses off. Laughing about everything and nothing, just having fun, enjoying life, and laughing like that. It had been so much fun back then.

Yeah, it was a great day. And maybe it could turn out even better, not only for Luffy and Ace.

**YXYXYXYXYXYX**

"What?" A voice gasped, clutching tightly onto the newspaper. "He's alive?"

"Yes, he is! I ain't telling lies, boy!" Another person answered, watching the other with slightly narrowed eyes. "I'm telling the truth, I was there!"

The first person was silent for a bunch of minutes, not saying anything as the gaze was staring at the picture of the strawhat boy. It showed Ace, bleeding, in Luffy's arms and before the two was Garp, bleeding heavily as well. Luffy seemed deep in shock, too deep to even notice someone had taken a picture of that terrible situation. How could someone shoot a photograph at this sight and put it into the newspapers?

"S-so… he's alive…" a murmur escaped the man's lips, as if he still didn't want to believe it. Or rather couldn't. He had thought he was the only survivor of this whole shit! 'And then this weird baka shows up and tells me that Luffy's still alive!'

But why shouldn't he trust this guy? After all, he could tell so many details – details about Luffy no one could read in the papers or catch from rumors. Only people who really knew Luffy! And his inner voice told him to listen to the stranger. And… what other choice did he have?

A few minutes of tense silence passed. No one dared say anything, but then one of the two looked up, determination filling his eyes.

"…And the others…? Are they still…?" the person broke the silence and bit the lip as the question left the mouth. But there was no way the others would be alive, was there…?

"…" Inhaling deeply, the man sadly shook his head. "He told me what had happened back then at Sabaody Archipelago… I don't think there's anyone else beside you. You're lucky to have survived."

The person gulped as the words sank in. His hopes were crushed down mercilessly and he had to work to keep himself from crying. Then he gulped, whispering:

"Am I really lucky?"

The other person had no answer to that. Maybe the other was right, but who could decide that? "Maybe you need to find out if you are." he answered instead, making the other sigh.

"I need to leave and find Luffy! Now!" the person then almost snapped, a little stress and tension taking over as he tried to push the sadness about what had happened aside for once. "Where is he? Can you take me to him?"

"…"

"Please!"

"-Can I really trust you? Are you really a member of his crew? Maybe you are a bounty hunter or something!"

"Of course you can! I'm one of his nakama, damn it! I am a PIRATE!"

These words were spoken with such great force it made the other person blink. Then he nodded, grinning.

"Sure thing! Let's go!"

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

"Huh? N-no way…!"

"It's true, look at this!"

"N-no way…" he repeated again. Was this really true? He wasn't the only one left? Was there still something like 'family'? Hope?

"It is!" the inhabitant repeated again, holding up a newspaper with the picture of Luffy at the War, together with Ace and Garp.

It was a horrible picture, blood was everywhere and Luffy's wide and shocked eyes were reason enough to break down and cry. But even then he couldn't draw his eyes away from that photograph. It was the only thing that proved to him that Luffy was alive and somehow didn't get killed by… those _monsters_.

"I… I…" a few sobs were to be heard.

"We know. Of course we'll help you. Don't worry." another of the inhabitants tried to reassure the pirate and patted his back. "We'll search for him together."

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

"A… Ace!" Luffy shouted, eyes widened to it's max. Ace immediately shot around, every alarm bell was ringing at the panicking shout of his brother.

"What? What? What is it?" Ace gasped, ready to fight anyone and anything. He went into killer mode, fists burning as he turned to his brother. "Where is he?"

Then Luffy pointed into the sky, jumping up and down in excitement. "There, there! I'll get him, Ace!"

Ace's head shot up and he was about to throw a fire ball at the enemy in the sky when he suddenly stopped, making a face. "Eeeeeeeeeh?"

"Stop joking around Ace! This is a serious ma-" Luffy was cut off by a soft but firm knock at his head. He stopped jumping and this time it was his turn to shoot around and blink. "Huh?"

"Luffy."

"Yes?"

"Why are you making such a fuss over the seagull? It just brings a newspaper to us." Ace explained, trying to stay calm.

Luffy blinked again. Then he looked at his brother as if he pitied Ace. "But Ace. Seagulls taste AMAZING! I haven't eaten one since, well, forever!" Luffy said and drew an invisible half circle with his hands into the air to emphasize his statement.

Ace only rolled with his eyes as he hid his joy. Luffy was practically acting like his old self again! Okay, every once in a while the seventeen-year-old was really depressed and quiet, and he had nightmares now and then. But beside that the strawhat boy really seemed to have recovered nicely! It brought Ace indescribable joy to see him acting like this.

"Alright, Lu. If you want it so badly, then go and get it." Ace said, smiling. Luffy's lips formed a smirk and seconds later the poor seagull was in the teen's tight grip – the claws of enormous hunger – and it realized it would never be able to escape that 'embrace'.

"Okay! Can you cook it?" Luffy asked his brother who frowned all of sudden, picking up the opened newspaper. "Ace?"

"… Luffy…" Ace murmured, a deep frown was still present upon his face which worried Luffy a little. He let go of the seagull (who was very grateful for this and made a run- err, a 'fly' for it) and went over to his brother's side.

"Is something wrong? Ace?" Luffy quietly asked, all happiness about the 'special food' immediately forgotten. He didn't like that look on his brother's usual calm face. Now Ace's expression seemed tense. And Luffy hated that kind of tone that laid in Ace's usual relaxed voice – it was giving Luffy a slightly uneasy feeling.

Then Luffy saw it: A huge picture of him and his nakama on the first page. But the worst part was the words written under the picture. It hurt Luffy to read it.

'_The Strawhat-scum finally eliminated by admirals – the rookie failed badly_.'

Luffy gasped as his eyes widened immediately and he ripped the newspaper out of his brother's hands. Those words… hurt more than expected as he re-read them over and over again.

"What…" Luffy only murmured in shock. Some painful memories began to rush in front of his inner eye and Luffy's hands began to tremble. Ace noticed this but wasn't sure what to do, or _if_ he could do something. Maybe Luffy could handle himself if he gave him some time… time to get it under control.

"…" Luffy tried to say something but unfortunately he found no words were coming out of his mouth. The strawhat teen felt something slowly lay itself around his throat and began to get tighter around it – much like a rope that tried to strangle him. Luffy gasped a little and gulped, trying to get rid of that awful feeling but failed.

"Luffy… come on, give me back the paper…" Ace tried and reached out for his brother. And as his fingertips softly touched the shoulder of the trembling pirate Luffy flinched back, the newspaper tightly clasped between Luffy's shivering fingers.

Ace at once realized his mistake – he should never have shown his brother the paper in the first place – and his expression became unbelievably sad. Luffy's wide and shocked eyes stared up into his own and the younger one's face became pale, really, really pale, his mouth half-opened.

"Luffy…" Ace tried again and took a small step forwards, his brother didn't react. Luffy's gaze seemed to stare into nothing behind Ace and the older of the two knew what was happening. Slowly, old scars began to open up again.

Luffy had to feel indescribable pain right now as all the sorrow reached the surface of the dark lake – the lake were Luffy had drowned all his sad and depressing emotions not too long ago. He had acknowledged they were dead – it had been such a hard work to do so – but now they came up again one by one and began to destroy Luffy's short happiness.

Ace bit his lip, then he lugged forwards and cupped his brother's face to get him back to reality. The strawhat boy really looked so weak and destroyed all of sudden. Trembling, Luffy was panting heavily.

Ace couldn't believe how fast it happened. Or more, how fast Luffy's positive thoughts got destroyed once again! The seventeen-year-old had been healing so nicely, and recovery had succeeded.

Luffy had been able to look at him again and not start to cry, he had been able to laugh, and he had been able to go on without them! To leave the past behind! And then, a picture with those damned words written under it had crushed all that at once!

It had been such hard work to get Luffy so far! To help him, to support him with all of his might! Luffy had finally _lived_ again, and then in seconds all this life was gone again…

"Luffy, you with me? Look at me, Luffy, look at me!" Ace said, repeating Luffy's name over and over again. He knew he had to address his younger brother clearly to get his attention. Ace _had_ to get him back! Away from those terrifying thoughts immediately!

"Luff-!" Ace began and suddenly was cut off by no one else than his brother. Luffy had begun to blink not too long ago and now fat tears were rolling down his soft cheeks, over Ace's hands, and dropping onto the dry ground.

"Hey, Lu…" Ace tried to smile softly but he only managed to make an awkward grimace. Luffy didn't really care and just continued to cry but this time, he didn't make a sound and his eyes were still wide. Slowly, Luffy closed his mouth and Ace could feel the younger one's lips trembling.

"I…" Luffy began but cut himself off as he gulped. Ace didn't say anything and looked at his brother with a warm look upon his face, encouraging Luffy to go on.

"I'm ready!" Luffy said, his voice cracking a little, even though it was full of determination. It was that kind of tone which was only used by the strawhat teen if he was deadly serious about something. And, indeed, Luffy was.

Ace however immediately knew what his brother wanted to tell him with that and gulped a bit. It was useless to ask 'are you sure?' or something like that. Because Fire Fist already knew Luffy was sure.

Luffy's fist clenched and he stood up with force, knocking Ace's warm hands away in the progress. Ace slowly stood up as well, waiting for Luffy to say something.

"I'm ready to kick their butts! I _will_ kick their asses! I will make them never forget my name and what it means to kill ALL MY NAKAMA! I WILL BEAT THEM UP!" he shouted out, still crying as he stretched his arms into the air.

Maybe Ace had been right about what he said earlier. About the 'you need to beat someone' thing. Maybe Luffy needed to just get rid of that mixed emotions inside him that threatened to explode. Or maybe Luffy needed to take revenge for the people who had meant the most to him.

Ace knew there was no arguing. Besides, he had to admit both of them had gotten damn strong too. They had fought each other and Luffy, not only once, had truly managed to beat Ace. Luffy and Ace had learned to control their haki, and with that great force they could beat anyone.

Ace nodded, determined. They would go out into that merciless world once again, but this time it was them who would win.

Not too soon after that, a guy with the bounty of 410,000,000 berry with the name 'Eustass Kidd' and his crew were beaten mercilessly, having been ones who had tried to attack the 'Thousand Sunny.' Eustass Kidd failed badly and was easily defeated by some 'newcomers', as witnesses called them.

But the government knew better, and soon the papers wrote about the terrifying duo, the fearful and extremely strong _D._ _brother's, _as the most dangerous team on Grand Line that should be avoided if possible.

Now the two were ready. This was the brother's comeback, and it had greatly succeeded. It was only the beginning.

**YXYXYXYXYXYX**

**Yeah, another chapter finished! I hope you enjoyed reading! Wow, there was something else than drama in this chapter! Now there were a little mystery and some positive mood as well, hopefully you liked it ;)**

**Well, was it too obvious who the two 'persons' were? I hope not! Well, anyways, please leave a review! **

**~Until next time!**


	6. A new crew?

**Hi there guys! I"m sorry for the super long wait! I just don't have much time lately. I"ll write whenever I have time and hope that it won't take me too long to update the next chapters. Once again, I"m so sorry!**

**Chu545: Thanks! Well, one of them is right, but which one has yet to be found out. But you"re soon gonna read about it :) Thank you! :)**

**crimeson-plasma: Aw that's great to hear! ;3 Really? I"m glad it made you feel like that ;) You are? It's really annoying, isn't it? Anyways, much luck ^-^**

**SniperKingSogeking0341: One of them was right ;) I try to, thank you :D**

**Silver Shadowbreeze: Thanks again for beta"ing the chapters, you"re a great support! =)**

**crazzyredhead: Thank you. Glad you liked it! =) **

**Domou Arigatou to all of you, I love your reviews!**

**Special thanks to Silver Shadowbreeze, the beta reader of this story! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of One Piece!**

**YXYXYXYXYXYX**

**Chapter 6 - A new crew? **

Gone. It wasn't there anymore.

It was gone! Their ship was _gone_! "Where could it be? Oh no! Did the marines destroy it?" The young pirate stood at the bay on Sabaody Archipelago, staring at the place where their ship used to be.

"Of course. They must have burned it! Our amazing, new ship..." A soft sob escaped the young pirate's mouth.

Then again, what was he thinking?

This was a ship, nothing more... and after what he had experienced, there was no way a vanished ship, even if it was the Sunny, would make him feel as sad as back then... And what the marine had done to them, or rather _with _them, was beyond horror and cruelty.

Gulping down the thick lump that was beginning to form inside his throat, he rubbed his nose and put a determined face on. He decided not to be sad again. He had been mourning over his nakama's death long enough to realize there was still someone left. Someone who would need his help. He should be there for this special person now!

"Speaking of which... maybe Luffy came here already and took Sunny with him?" He thought, face brightening. "Yup, probably! That's great! But... where is he now? After all, it took me a few days to come here. Luffy surely is already far away from here. Luuuffy..."

His heart squeezed painfully at the thought of his captain. He wondered how Luffy was doing without them. At least he had his big brother Ace with him...

"Huh? Aren't you one of Monkey-chan's nakama?" A smooth voice sounded from behind, making him squeak in surprise.

He shot around only to find who else but Shakky before him. The black-haired woman blinked, then began to smile brightly. She seemed both surprised and very glad to see him.

"Sh-Shakky!"

"That's right. You... Monkey-chan thinks you are dead, you know. Even Rayleigh and I thought so! It's really a surprise to meet you here!" Shakky said happily. "There's someone else beside Luffy left..." she added, murmuring.

"I- I know! I need to find Luffy! He- where is he? Do you know where-" he started, bewildered. He hadn't heard about the last comment Shakky made, too caught up in finding Luffy.

"Calm down, calm down little one," Shakky said with a friendly smile. "First of all, you should come with me to my cafe, there we can talk unhurriedly. Besides, I think there's someone you need to see. He just arrived a few hours ago."

This caused the member of Luffy's crew to frown a little. "Huh? Someone I need to see?"

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

The sky was clear, there was no cloud to be seen, and the vast ocean's surface was reflecting the warm and light sunrays, emphazising the day's brightness.

Every now and then, a soft breeze blew playfully through Luffy's messy hair. The strawhat teen enjoyed the cool air in his face and closed his eyes, hands behind his head. Luffy's sandals lay beside him, right next to his precious hat. The seventeen-year-old just wanted to take a short break from the previous events, lots of exhausting but bodacious things had happened lately. Leaning back against the mast of Thousand Sunny, he inhaled and exhaled slowly and deeply. What a nice day. Perfect for relaxing to wait for the next island.

The training did a lot for Luffy physically and mentally. He could feel the strength coursing through his body. He had been able to beat Eustass Kidd, without Ace's help even if the rookie's bounty had risen since the last time they met.

But Luffy's had risen too. The black-haired teen with the huge scar across his chest was proud of his 400, 000, 000 Million beli bounty!

After beating Kidd, they had taken the Thousand Sunny (Rayleigh and Shakky sure had been taken aback by their sudden appearance!) and gone straight to fishman island. Amazing place, and there were really nice people too (excluding that weird Hody and Van der Dekken or whatever they called themselves). Heh, they weren't a match for both him and Ace!

The weird guys had tried to take over the whole country, and strange man Van der Dekken even wanted to marry fourteen-year-old Shirahoshi... what a freak he was. He'd apparently attempted to do it many times. But now there was no danger to the fishman island anymore. It was probably one of the safest places on the Grand Line.

It had been lots of fun to see the island. Besides that, they had been able to meet Jinbei, Octa, and Keimi once again- and even Shirahoshi, the princess and the rest of the royal family. Yup, definitely an interesting place, especially with all the different kinds of fishes and other sea dwellers he'd never seen before.

Then, he and Ace had finally managed to leave the normal Grand Line behind and were now in the New World. Luffy still couldn't believe it. Yes, they'd had done it!

Luffy gritted his teeth, mind turning to darker thoughts. Now Blackbeard would have to prepare himself, as well as Akainu, Kizaru, Kuma... Then he sighed, pushing those thoughts aside. It didn't make him happy to think about those stupid enemies now.

The marine was searching for the brothers again, and once again Ace and him were at the top of all wanted lists. The world government now knew they could believe the rumors that had whispered about Fire Fist Ace and Strawhat Luffy being somewhere on the Grand Line. Yup, the D brothers were alive indeed!

Luffy still felt uncomfortable to be on the Thousand Sunny with no one but his older brother. It felt as if someone was missing. He sighed and his shoulders slumped down. Of course there were some_ones_ missing.

No Sanji who cooked delicious meals and kicked him for always being hungry. No Nami who was always busy drawing maps and complaining about them beccause they had been too loud playing tag again. There was no Chopper anymore, who would ironically call for a doctor if someone was hurt, or listen with the mouth wide open to one of Usopp's tales. No Usopp... that meant no funny lies to cheer them up, no teeth chattering if there was an enemy nearing.

Never again was he going to listen to Zoro's loud but somehow calming snores on deck. There would be no swordsman, no friend who would always be able to give him the right advice.

No one would be sitting on the deck, reading a book... no amazing archaeologist who would give them interesting details about an island's history. No Robin.

There was no cyborg, no Franky. None of his funny inventions, and no one who would run around shouting _SUPA_ anymore.

And Luffy would never again hear Brook's crazy laugh, or any of his fantastic songs, or his hilarious skull jokes...

But enough of that. He had been depressed for far too long. He had to move on- not just for his crew's sake, but more for Ace. The fire user hated to see him sad, and Luffy really didn't want to pull his brother down. He tried his best to live on... for all of them.

Time was helping him to forget about awful details and being back on the seas was giving him an amazing and undescribable sensation that cheered him up, even if he couldn't be together with his nakama. But there were other things left he should enjoy, and that was what he was doing at the moment.

Luffy stretched his limbs and let his hands rest on the ground. Hm... that was nice. He could feel the soft grass beneath his toes and fingers- it was so comfortable. He also liked the warm sun that greeted him with bright rays. There were also lots of familiar things to hear: for example, the distant calls of seagulls flying above the Sunny.

His tension was beginning to ebb away with the soft sounds of the ocean. He loved the sound of the sea lapping the ship. It calmed him. And as he inhaled once again, Luffy realized how much he'd missed being at sea. A salty taste was in the air, much more intense than back at their island.

Opening his eyes, Luffy got an absolutley wonderful and breathtaking view: the wide, blue, glistening ocean that laid before him, inviting him to new amazing adventures. He hadn't given a damn about it for a long time, since back _then_. But slowly, sights like this gave him goosebumbs again, making him feel more alive. It was coming back to him. Luffy could feel it. The will to carry on was growing every day.

And that was all just thanks to his brother. Luffy smiled inwardly at the thought of Ace. It was great to have a brother like him.

Mentioned brother was busy in the kitchen, cooking a meal that included lots of tasty meat. Luffy would love that!

Ace scratched his head as he looked around in the kitchen. "Luffy's shipwright sure did an amazing job building this ship. My little brother must be proud of- what was his name? Franky, right? A really great shipwright," he murmured. It was a beautiful ship with those huge, comfortable rooms. It even had an aquarium!

Minutes later, Ace called for Luffy. As the younger heard the door to the kitchen open, he thought for a second it was Sanji who would call for him next. Needless to say Luffy found himself disappointed as he heard his brother's voice and not his cook's.

But even so, the young pirate instantly rushed towards the kitchen.

Ace smiled at him as he arrived at the kitchen. Luffy smiled back. The two just looked at each other for a while. A comfortable silence settled between them, then the two sat down and began eating.

"How is it, Lu?" Ace asked kindly in the middle of the meal. He'd made a nice meat fondue for him and Luffy. He remembered exactly how Luffy had loved it when they were little kids, but it had been a rare meal as it cost much effort to do it and they just hadn't had the skill to cook it. But Ace had learned from Marco, one of his nakama, how to cook a real fondue. He had to admit it wasn't that difficult!

Not to mention it tasted really good.

"Hmmm... delicious!" Luffy answered between some pieces of meat in his full-stuffed mouth. Ace "tch"-ed at his brother's lack of manners but shrugged it off. They were pirates. They didn't really _need _manners, did they...? But then, Makino had always taught him about how important good behaviour was, so maybe he should teach Luffy a lesson about that sometime?

Not now, Ace decided. He was afraid to hurt his brother if he was talking sternly to him now. Luffy could get depressed easily, Ace just didn't want to risk that. Besides, Luffy had just given him a nice compliment by saying he liked the meal, so Ace was in a mellow mood.

_BONK!_

"Ace? Hey Ace! Don't sleep with your face in your-" Luffy began while laughing at his brothers sudden narcoleptic attack, but immediately shut his mouth as he realised something: If Ace was asleep, that meant he wouldn't be eating. And if the older one wasn't eating but sleeping instead, that meant Ace wouldn't notice how he stole his meal!

"Yay!" Luffy cheered and began to stuff everything edible he could grab into his mouth without Ace noticing. The fire user didn't even twitch, and just snored loudly with his face on his filled plate. It was hilarious. Luffy couldn't stop laughing at the sight.

"Hahahaha! Ace, that's so funny! Snoring into the.. food... you ...cooked..." Luffy bit his lip, then he burst out laughing loudly and he held his tummy while hitting the table in his laughing fit. By now the whole meal was gone and the table was mostly empty. Ace kept on snoring, the only sound beside Luffy's laughing. Beside the two, there was no one onboard.

"Hahaha..." Luffy coughed quietly, still not stopping to laugh. "Haha... it's funny... isn't it?" he choked, and his laughter began to quiet down a bit. He choked again. "Haha... ha... haa..."

Suddenly, tears began to roll down his cheeks, dripping onto his trousers. "Haa... aaah..." Luffy grabbed his face and buried it into his hands, wetting them while crying like a waterfall. The seventeen-year-old couldn't help it, the tears just wouldn't stop no matter how hard he tried.

This place, the ship, was just full of bitter-sweet memories. The huge flag that showed the smiling pirate skull with the strawhat... it was _their_ flag and it stood for freedom, dreams and... _nakama_. But there weren"t any nakama onboard to share this freedom and the dreams with him anymore. It was so hard at the moment, so hard not to cry.

He continued to choke and sob and cough into his own trembling hands until he grabbed his head and let the tears fall silently onto the table. Drip. Drip. Drip. It went unnoticed by Ace, who was deadly tired and fast asleep.

Luffy didn't blame him for that, it had become obvious to him that his poor brother needed a short break. Actually, Luffy was glad Ace was sleeping. At least he wouldn't see him crying again. It would only bother Ace, and he would start asking questions, or would show his sympathy or pity for him again... and at the moment those were exactly what Luffy couldn't stand anymore.

But why couldn't he stop being sad? Why was the memory of his nakama still so fresh? Luffy wanted to continue with his life, he really did, but his mind just wouldn't let him go on like before. The picture of his nakama being murdered flashed before his inner eye over and over again. Hadn't he promised himself not to have a mental breakdown like that anymore?

Luffy thought he was stronger than that but at the moment he felt so _fragile_. If he could, he would just blow away all sorrow and negative thoughts. If it only were that simple...

The hot and salty liquid made its way down his wet cheeks and there was one small yet difficult question inside his mind. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he had no answer.

Just why...

Why was it so hard to overcome?

**YXYXYX~ One week later~ YXYXYX**

"Hey Luffy, look!" Ace called out to his younger brother, pointing at a huge island in front of them.

Luffy went up groggily from his resting place between the mikan trees. It really was a nice place, and he liked the smell of the mikans... it reminded him of Nami. She always smelled like them. Rubbing his eyes, he blinked at what he saw. Then his face instantly brightened up.

"An island?" he asked intelligently. Ace laughed.

"What else could it be, baka?" the elder asked half-jokingly, shaking his head. " Of course it's an island!"

"Woohooo! It's the first one for us to see in the New World, isn't it? Amazing!" Luffy cheered as he put his straw hat back on his head and quickly jumped over to his brother.

It had been a week and a few days since they reached the other half of the Grand Line. They really had come far! But then, there was still a long way to go. And not only that, there were even stronger opponents they had yet to face, but they wouldn't back down... just fight forward and never stop until they reached the last island of the New World.

Until Luffy had found One Piece and become the King of the Pirates.

Luffy silently wondered what would happen afterwards, if his brother would stay with him or go back to his old crew and nakama. The strawhat teen almost wanted his brother to do so, knowing how much Ace missed his friends.

Luffy gulped. And what about him? What would _he_ be doing after that? He would be pirate king... and then? Was there anything left for him? Was there even a place for him anymore in this world? Luffy still didn't have an answer to that. He would only know if he went that far.

"Luffy? Luuuffy! Earth to Luffy!" Ace stood beside him, eyebrows raised. "Hello? Don't space out like that in the middle of a conversation. That's rude!" Luffy heard his brother saying as Ace shook his finger.

"Eh? Oh, yes yes, that's right! Island!" Luffy jumped up and down like a bouncy ball. Ace made a face at his brother's childish behaviour but didn't comment. It was just so Luffy-like. Why should he complain? Besides, if they were in a fight or in any serious situation, Ace knew he could rely on his little brother. When Luffy was serious or pissed off, he would rather not be an enemy. The seventeen-year-old was a damn badass when the chips were down!

"Aceeeeeeey~!" Luffy teased, his trademark grin upon his face- only a few inches away from Ace's. Ace flinched slightly and baked away, only for Luffy to laugh at him loudly.

"Now who's the out-spacer?" Luffy chuckled.

Ace pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't like it when his little brother was making fun of him. But then, Luffy was right. He'd been the one to totally wander off in his thoughts. Then Ace grinned. _We really are_ _brothers!_

"Are ya serious? Out-spacer? Is that even a word, Luffy?" Ace snickered at his naive brother who looked at him as if he was dumb.

"Huh? What else would you call yourself in that situation?" Luffy blinked, cocking his head to the side with a frown.

Ace chuckled at the weird sentence coming from his brother. "Nevermind. Now let's prepare for landing."

Luffy sighed. "Yes yes, I know." the younger one said, rolling with his eyes. "There could be some kind of freaky monsters, or weird people, or weird marine guys, or mystery plants and so on. Ace, you've already told me about the dangers of the New World many times, remember?" Luffy said, "By the way, we've become really strong, haven"t we?" With that, he grinned proudly at Ace who didn't know what to answer to that.

"Alright, I get it..." Ace sighed, scratching his temple. At this point, there was no arguing with Luffy. And he already knew, if there was something Luffy really wanted to get, then he wouldn't hesitate to get them into deep trouble. And, being the stubborn little idiot he was, no matter how many times Ace told him not to do anything stupid, Luffy still would do as he pleased.

That was just how Luffy's mind worked, and there was nothing and no one who could change that. Ace and Sabo had given up a long time ago and Dadan hadn't even dared to try. Well, maybe Gramps could've, but even he had failed... Ace sighed. "Gramps..."

Wow, he was drifting off again! What the heck? He should concentrate on him and Luffy before- Dang. Where _was_ Luffy?

He gasped. They were already at the island? How the hell did that happen? Making a note not to drift off in any daydreams or thoughts anymore, he jumped off the ship, landing gracefully on land.

Ace wanted to call out for Luffy, but then shut his mouth. The fire user didn't want to alarm any possible enemies on this island. Who knew _what_ lived here?

"Bloody-!"Ace cursed. Just when did Luffy run off, the little idiot?

As the young man took a closer look at the island, he noticed how beautiful it looked. And actually, it was rather peaceful too. Ace wasn't used to that. A peaceful and quiet isle in the New World? Maybe it was just the calm before the storm...

"I need to find Luffy NOW!" Ace said to no one in particular and began to walk into the huge forest ahead. The island didn't have any mountains on it. It was as flat as a board, and all that could be seen were trees. No rocks, no animals, nothing.

Oh, great... he hadn't planned their first adventure on an island to start like this! But on the other hand, he was travelling with Luffy- so what did he expect? Of course there would be trouble. But as long as Luffy was happy with what he was doing, then...

Ace found it much more important for Luffy to find his happiness again, even if the two ended up in trouble again. They were brothers. They could handle it easily!

**-YXYXYXYXYXY-**

**Meanwhile, not too far away from Ace:**

"Dang, where am I?" Luffy whined as his stomach began to complain loudly."Meaaaaaat..."

Luffy had just smelled something REALLY tasty! Ace had seemed to be somewhere else with his thoughts, so Luffy had seized his chance and followed that smell deep into the forest, leaving the Thousand Sunny and Ace behind.

"I wonder if Ace is worried..." Luffy murmured although he already knew Ace was probably more than worried, as the overprotective brother he was. "He will be so pissed if he finds me... crap! Hopefully he doesn't cancel dinner as punishment!" Luffy froze in his movements at this horrible thought and widened his eyes. Oh god, please no! That would be the worst punishment Luffy could imagine!

Suddenly, a loud crack behind him caused him to drop that thought immediately. He gasped and shot around, preparing to throw a fist into the enemie's face. But to his surprise there was no one behind him. Actually, he could see nothing but numerous trees surrounding him. There wasn't even the end of the forest anywhere near. But he hadn't run off that far, had he? Maaan, he and his awful sense of direction. Almost as bad as...

"Zoro..." Luffy sighed as he dropped his fists, looking to the ground. Yeah, Zoro had always had an absolutely terrible sense of direction. Luffy remembered how he and Zoro once were sent to buy some stuff for the ship to repair. Of course, Nami hadn't thought about how the two would get lost and sent them shopping together.

The captain and swordsman miraculously managed to come back within 24 hours. Actually, they were just 21 hours late. Luffy was proud of himself back then because he had been the one to find the way back to Sunny, while Zoro was always running in the same wrong direction. That had been a really funny day- only him and Zoro walking confused around the whole island!

Needless to say it was a really small island. Yep, the two of them could manage to get lost on their own ship!

A sad smile present on his face, Luffy slowly rubbed his upper arm. All of sudden, he felt so lonely and a cool chill made it's way down his spine. What was this weird feeling? Was he hungry? No, it was something different, like... loneliness? Or was he... scared?

Luffy got hit by realization with full force at once. He was _scared _indeed! Scared that something would happen to his brother while the two of them were seperated. Luffy had a bad feeling as he thought of that. He was afraid of being left alone in this world!

Why on earth did he have to run off like that? He hadn't wanted to do the same mistake again and just leave someone precious behind! Luffy knew his brother was strong, but still... if he wasn't there when something happened to his brother, he would never ever forgive himself. In fact, Luffy would rather give his own life than experience his brother being killed!

Heart hammering against his chest as if it was going to jump out, thoughts racing in his mind, Luffy began to race through the deep forest like a maniac. He had to get out of this place. It was dark, he was alone, and it made him feel as if something terrible was about to happen. Not knowing which way to go, the young teen just dashed into one direction, hoping to get back to his brother soon.

"Ace... please be okay!" he kept on repeating in his mind. How come he was scared like this all of sudden, even though there was nothing happening? Luffy only ran faster. Branches scratched his face, making his cheeks bleed. Drops of sweat were rolling down his forehead and into his eyes. He quickly wiped them away.

A huge root stopped Luffy's dash abruptly, and the seventeen-year-old fell face first onto the forest floor, yelping. He spit some blood onto the ground. Luffy stood up again and let his hands rest on his knees, panting loudly. He could feel his blood rush in his ears and his heart bumping furiously. Slowly, his fear seemed to vanish as quickly as it had appeared.

Luffy looked up, thinking that maybe he'd run the wrong direction. Still, there were only trees, numerous dark fir trees everywhere he looked. Knitting his brows together in confusion, Luffy scratched his cheeks. Now he was calm again. Why was that?

"What just... happened?" he wondered aloud, having no idea of why he had just freaked out like that the moment before. But now, a weird but somehow familiar peace settled inside him. His ears perked up. There was a someone near. Luffy could feel another person's presence around him like a predator. It was certainly not Ace, the strawhat teen knew that for sure.

Who else was it? The black haired boy got a bit irritated by the fact that his heart didn't race anymore and it was odd how calm he felt around that person's presence... wait, there was another one! Two foreigners? But were they really foreign? It felt so familiar...

Luffy stood in a fighting position, fists raised as he was ready to beat anyone's asses. Although he didn't feel the need to defend himself, he wouldn't drop his guard. Maybe this was a trap? No, it couldn't be. But what was this feeling?

Luffy tensed a little as he heard two voices nearing. Then they stopped and a gasp could be heard. What was that? Luffy sniffed the air as he recognized the delicious smell from before. There was someone who cooked something, here in the middle of the forest! And it smelled so good... too good...

Luffy couldn't bear it anymore. He shouted at the mystery people. "Wh-who's there? Show yourself, damnit!"

But then, something happened that would leave Luffy beyond shock. The two mysterious figures neared Luffy, smiling brightly as they entered his sights.

Luffy, on the other hand, felt his heart stop for a moment. He was unable to breathe. The air just got stuck in his throat. What the...? It couldn't be!

"..."Luffy wanted to say something, anything! He wanted to move! He wanted to make sure it wasn't just his imagination or an illusion, but he couldn't. His body wouldn't react.

"L-Luffy..." the small person said, it was just a whimper but a happy one. Tears streamed down both the little one's and the other person's faces, although the taller of the two quickly wiped it away.

To say Luffy was shocked was an understatement and he touched his cheeks with shivering hands only to find his fingertips... were wet! Since when was he crying? But that didn't matter at that moment.

Eventually, the person moved and the little one, the little fur ball, finally opened his mouth to squeak Luffy's name out loudly.

"Lu-Lu-LUFFY! Oh god Luuuuuffy! I'msogladyou'realiveeee!" the little doctor screamed, overjoyed. He jumped up into Luffy's arms, burying his furry wet face into his captain's chest.

Luffy stumbled back a little at the impact and had his mouth wide opened, staring at the other person in shock. "Y-you..."

"Yes, you baka, we're alive...!" The taller person said, rubbing his nose while smiling, as he too went to take Luffy into a hug.

"S-Sanji! Chopper...!" Luffy suddenly found himself able to speak again, sobbing into his cook's dark clothes like a little child. "Y-You guys... I-I thought... Oh god!"

The three of them stayed like this for a while, no matter how awkward or embarrassing this might be for a bunch of strong men, and they continued to smile and cry at the same time. Luffy's body was shaking like a leaf in the wind. But not because of the cool chill in the air, but rather 'cause of the immense joy he could feel deep inside his heart. It was like a warmth that spread through his entire body.

Was he dreaming? Was this reality? Luffy couldn't tell but he couldn't care less at that moment. He didn't know what to do or to say, but he knew one thing:

He was happy.

**YXYXYXYXYXY**

**Yosh, Sanji and Chopper are alive :) Congrats to those who guessed right! **

**I hope you enjoyed this chappie, it was a bit longer than usual to make up for the long wait.**

**Please review, every single review is hugely appreciated as always~! :D **

**Until next time :)**


	7. Housoku no Shima

**Hi everyone :) Wow, I got so many reviews last chapter, that's amazing! Thanks so much people! :D**

**crimeson-plasma: That's so great to hear! :3 Thank you! **

**SniperKingSogeking0341: Well, sorry to say this but there's only Sanji and Chopper.**

**BlueWolf65: You think so? Thanks, it makes me happy to hear that! Yeah, the two brothers just know how to calm the other, they're such a perfect team ;) Sorry for the cliffhanger^^ Thank you! :)**

**crazzyredhead: Thanks :) You're about to find out in this chapter ;) **

**ichigo1508: Thank you! :) **

**I really appreciate every single review I got! Thanks again. Here you go, enjoy an extra long chapter :)**

**Special thanks to Silver Shadowbreeze, the beta of this story!**

**Disclaimer: One Piece doesn't belong to me.**

**YXYYXYXYXYXY**

**Chapter 7 – Housoku no Shima**

Slowly, the three let go of each other, still sobbing quietly. Sanji quickly rubbed his red eyes, embarrassed to have cried. Luffy and Chopper, who didn't care that they were weeping like little kids, trembled lightly. It was sad on one hand, but on the other hand they all felt unbelievable happy. So happy that the fear deep inside them slowly vanished.

The fear each of them carried around like heavy stones in their stomachs ached terribly. There was nothing that could make the pain go away. It spread through the body like a virus, and its deadly and cold claws reached out to grip their hearts and never let go. That's what each of them had to go through the past hours, days and weeks.

It was their fear of being the only survivor, the last of the infamous Strawhat crew. When Sanji and Chopper looked up at the sky in another lonely night, thousands of kilometers away from each other without knowing of the other's existence, they would watch the stars. Those small lights, too far away to reach, made them feel so … so _small_. So unimportant. It felt horrible.

As soon as Sanji and Chopper and Luffy met again, they felt relieved and happy. In the blink of an eye, they were finally free of that fear; they now knew they still had nakama left.

Chopper continued to sob uncontrollably into his small hooves. The tears kept on floating down his fluffy cheeks, even after the warm hug. It wasn't that he was sad, but rather the reindeer couldn't believe it was true. He'd thought all of his precious nakama had died that day! And suddenly there's not only Sanji but Luffy also!

"You… I…" Chopper murmured. Luffy and Sanji didn't respond. There was no need for words. The three friends shared a moment of silent happiness in peace and calm.

"Ya damn idiot rubber…" Sanji grumbled but he wasn't angry at all, failing to get his emotions under control. "How could you just have run off into the New World without waiting for us? Dang! It was a bunch of trouble to find you and Ace," he added in a softer tone, looking at his captain.

Chopper smiled while letting the tears flow freely. Luffy really was alive, in flesh and blood he was standing before them. The reindeer and Sanji all of sudden felt the urge to hug him again but froze as Luffy began to talk.

"So… it's true… you're alive…" Luffy unconsciously whispered, eyes half-opened as he stared into the darkness around them. By now, the sun had set and the night had taken over, laying its dark blanket over the sky and engulfing the world in pitch black darkness.

This however caught the cook's and Chopper's attention, and their eyes narrowed slightly. There was something off… but neither the blond nor the reindeer could say what it was. From first glance at Luffy, everything seemed hunky-dory.

Sanji frowned a bit. No, he wasn't okay. When the cook took a closer look at Luffy, he realized what was wrong. He noticed how sweaty their captain looked. It was strange to see him that weak. But then, what had he expected? What _should_ he have expected? Sanji wasn't sure, but he supposed that any normal human in Luffy's place would have already committed suicide or gone crazy. Sanji bit his lip at a thought. He didn't want to know how he himself looked like at the moment. Probably just as messy and pale as the others.

"What is it, Luffy?" He heard Chopper's trembling voice asking.

"He…" Luffy answered slowly and by the look in his glazed eyes, Sanji got the feeling that their captain was far, far away mentally. Slight worry began to build up inside him. He stepped forward to touch Luffy's shoulder.

"Are ya alright? What's the matter?" he asked carefully. Sanji wanted to touch Luffy's shoulder but hesitated, as if he was afraid he would break Luffy's fragile-looking body.

"He said that… there was still someone alive…" Luffy murmured before his eyes closed almost automatically and he collapsed. If it wasn't for the startled Sanji who caught him in mid-air, Luffy would have crashed onto the ground.

"Luffy!" Both Chopper and Sanji gasped.

"The hell?"

"Doctor! Doctor! Doc-oh wait, _I'm_ the doctor!" Chopper immediately went into his doctor mode and ordered Sanji to lay Luffy onto the ground. There he quickly checked their unconscious captain.

"Oh my God! What on earth-?" Another voice came from behind and took the two aback. Their heads shot around in shock only to see Ace standing in front of them.

"Ace?"

"Eh?" came the intelligent answer. "W-what… aren't you two members of Luffy's crew? I thought…" Ace was at a loss for words as his jaw hit the ground. Weren't those two the doctor and the cook of the Strawhat crew? Weren't they killed on Sabaody Archipelago? What was going on?

The fire fist couldn't think anymore as he stared at Luffy's unonscioius body on the ground. "Luffy! What happened?" he demanded.

"N-no time for explanations! Luffy has a fever, we have to get him into bed now!" Chopper's order brought Sanji and Ace back to reality.

"Right!" The two of them said in unison and within a few minutes Luffy was carried back to the Sunny inside the infirmary.

The Thousand Sunny soon left the small island and continued to sail straight forward. Ace had told them they'd reach another, bigger island soon, maybe the next day.

**-X-Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-**

**Not too long after they left the island:**

"How is he?" Ace asked with a slightly trembling voice, unable to hide his worry.

The blonde cook noticed and inwardly shook his head. Ace was the big bro, it was natural he was concerned for Luffy's health. Sanji understood that he wanted to appear strong- he was one of the Whitebeard pirates, after all. But wasn't that a rather silly reason? _Whatever_, Sanji thought, focusing on Chopper.

The furry doctor had just come out of the infirmary, softly closing the door behind him. He looked up to see Sanji and Ace waiting before him with brows knitted together in worry and slight confusion.

"Chopper?" Ace bit his lip, preparing for the worst although he, deep inside his mind, knew Luffy would never die that easily. He was pretty stubborn after all, but Ace's worry covered all logical thoughts without him realizing.

The little reindeer smiled gently at the other two, giggling slightly. Sanji and Ace weren't prepared for that. They had thought Chopper would be sad, sobbing, shouting, weeping or something like that… but giggling? That came rather unexpected.

"What's with that worried looks? Luffy's fine, he's just a small fever and is really exhausted. It looks as if he hasn't had a proper sleep for the past few days. But I gave him a sleeping pill so that he'll have a good rest."

"And when will he wake up?" Sanji wanted to know.

"Well, I guess Luffy will be up within the next day. You know him, he never can stand still let alone lay for more than three hours, right?" Chopper said, smile still present.

Sanji suddenly thought how mature Chopper looked and acted. Wow, their little reindeer doctor had changed quite a bit.

"Phew, thank god…" Ace whispered, running a hand through his black hair. Then he shook his head and 'tched'. "Typical for him. That little dimwit! Why didn't he tell me he didn't feel well? Really, he's got nothing better to do than making me worry all the time!"

The other two snickered at that comment. They knew that all too well. Yeah, that's so much Luffy- always causing trouble. It was like a law of nature.

"Well, why don't we go into the kitchen? I can make you a nice hot chocolate- you all look pretty tired," Sanji offered.

"Hot chocolate? Hm, that would be nice indeed." Ace smiled as he imagined of a cup of the sweet liquid he loved so much. Chopper quickly agreed, so the three went into the kitchen and Sanji made three cups of hot chocolate. Thanking Sanji, Ace sat down at the kitchen table and took a few gulps. Chopper and the cook copied his actions. It really tasted great.

"So…. you two survived the massacre?" Ace asked to break the silence without noticing how rough that sounded. The other two cringed at the word massacre but didn't say anything. Sanji nodded, tightening the grip on his cup of hot chocolate.

He would like to avoid that subject as much as he could, but Ace wanted, _needed_ answers. Sanji couldn't really blame Luffy's brother for that curiosity- or was it concern for Luffy? Because Ace wanted to hide behind a mask, trying to forget about Luffy's collapsing? Sanji knew Ace probably must be worried as hell.

"I… I thought I was the only one left… it was scary… so scary…" a soft whisper left the little doctor's mouth but the other two heard it. A depressed silence settled in the kitchen. Sanji's cigarette was stuck between his fingers and he didn't bother taking a drag. Ace stared at the table were his elbows were resting and Chopper looked at his own shivering hooves as if to make sure everything was real. It was a bizarre sight but they couldn't care less.

Luffy only had a small fever and was resting, fast asleep. Maybe it was the stress, the exhaustion and the pressure from the past days that caused this. Ace thought about what the little reindeer doctor had told them. The fire fist felt bad for not noticing his brother being sick. How could Luffy have hidden that from him? _Damn, the little rubber idiot sure could be a great actor_, Ace thought again. It wasn't the first time he realized that Luffy was hiding his feelings and it was getting on his nerves. He would have to talk to his younger brother after he woke up.

"Okay, just to make things clearer… Luffy was sent to Amazon Lily, then he broke into Impel Down, broke out again, rescued you at the battlefield, and then…" Sanji began, trying to find out what happened without bringing up painful memories.

" …Gramps died saving me and Luffy. If he didn't, we'd be…" the fire user paused, trying to get his emotions under control.

The other two hesitated a bit, then Chopper began. "G-Garp died? I'm sorry…"

Ace smiled faintly. "Luffy and me have been training on a small island at Grand Line for a few weeks, not too far away from Amazon Lily. We returned to Sabaody Archipelago and went straight for Fishman Island, entered the New World and finally, on this last island, found you two." he ended his story and waited for Sanji or Chopper to speak.

The little doctor inhaled deeply. "We-well, I was sent to an island where I could improve my knowledge about medicine a bit… I learned hard even though I thought Luffy was de-dead… I don't know why, maybe it was instinct…?

"A-after I read in the newspaper what happened to him and you, I-I quickly left that island and followed you… on Sabaody I met Sanji and we somehow fought our way through these oceans up until this island… I-I am so glad you and Luffy are okay!"

A few soft sobs followed and Sanji gently rubbed Chopper's head. Sanji didn't know why, but all of sudden Luffy's voice popped up inside his head and repeated: _"H-he said… that there was still someone alive_…" Luffy had said that before he collapsed back at the small island. Who'd said that? Had Luffy just talked rubbish in his fever? Sanji decided to ask Luffy later.

"All I can say is that I landed on an island, just like Chopper, _fled_ from that island (and its weird inhabitants that shall not be mentioned ever again) and landed here in the New World," Sanji said, inhaling the burning smoke of his cigarette. He had had enough of talking already. He was tired, hungry and confused.

All Sanji wanted to do was go to bed and have a nice and long sleep. Waking up tomorrow and realizing it's not just a dream but reality… yeah, that would be perfect.

Ace seemed to notice and chuckled, the atmosphere lightening slightly. He stood up while saying, "I think we're all tired and need to grab a few winks. Let's go to bed, alright? We can discuss the other stuff tomorrow." A loud and long yawn followed, emphasizing everyone's was exhaustion.

No one argued with that, and soon all the lights on Sunny were out. Ace threw himself into Luffy's hammock where he promptly fell asleep (falling asleep in a foreign place had never been a problem for Ace, he could sleep anywhere), and Sanji was dazing off in his own hammock. Chopper was laying in the bed in the infirmary, tightly cuddled to the snoring Luffy. The small reindeer rubbed his blue nose on his captain's cheek as he fell asleep next to the boy.

Chopper didn't want to get separated from him and Sanji ever again. He wanted to make sure Luffy would be still there the next day.

In the middle of the night when it was pitch black, Ace woke up. He couldn't get back to sleep, so he decided to check up on Luffy. The straw hat boy's snores could be heard through the door as Ace stood in front of the sick room.

As he quietly entered the infirmary and lit a small light, he had to smile. If he wasn't a tough guy then he would have thought this sight was really cute. Well, who was he kidding? It _was_ cute!

The little reindeer doctor was cuddled up beside Luffy's face, his blue nose slightly touching the teen's cheek. Chopper looked almost like a little kitten who was searching for warmth, sleeping beside its owner. To his surprise, Ace found Sanji snoring in a chair, forehead on the nightstand beside Luffy's bed. The cigarette had fallen out of his half-open mouth and was rolling around on the floor.

Ace chuckled. His little brother's nakama sure were fantastic friends. Ace knew together with these guys, Luffy would get the best protection he could have asked for. They genuinely cared for the rubber boy from the bottom of their hearts. To know Luffy's nakama would always keep a close eye on their little troublemaker set Ace's always worrying mind at ease, at least a little bit.

Ace silently went back to the men's cabin and found sleep as soon as his back touched the hammock.

**-X-Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-**

**An hour earlier:**

Luffy opened his eyes and shot up, blinking into the darkness. He'd heard someone entering the infirmary.

"Luffy? You awake?"

Luffy inhaled deeply, sighing. It was Sanji. Why was he so tense anyways? And… Chopper was here too? Luffy noticed the small reindeer lying beside his head, still asleep. Luffy found it sweet that he came to sleep with him. He really liked the fluffy doctor a lot.

"Yes." Luffy responded, waiting for his cook to explain himself.

Sanji slowly groped around in the black room as he couldn't see anything and carefully neared Luffy's bed. It was still night and Ace was fast asleep in the men's cabin.

"How are you feeling? Need anything?" Sanji murmured.

Luffy grinned into the darkness before answering, "I'm better, thanks. Sorry to have you guys worried." he said out of an old habit. Sanji grunted as he acknowledged Luffy's apology.

"I wanted to ask you something." Sanji began, changing the subject. Luffy could hear Sanji breathing in the darkness as he came nearer. Suddenly the blond teen hit a chair close to Luffy's bed and stopped.

"Ah, there it is." he murmured to himself before he sat down. "Well, before you collapsed out there in the woods, you whispered something strange."

Luffy listened closely, trying to remember. "Eh? I did?" The seventeen-year-old knew he fainted back then but he talked to them before…? "What did I say?" Now Luffy was whispering not to wake Chopper up, and Sanji also lowered his voice.

"If I recall correctly, you said something like 'He said there was still someone alive' or something. What did you mean by that? Who said that?" Sanji wanted to know. It wasn't that important but it had been bothering him the whole evening.

A short pause followed and Sanji realized Luffy was deep in. Then Luffy spoke up again. "Uhm… yeah I know what you mean. Well, do you remember that… bear guy who sent you all away…?"

How could they forget about Kuma and the other marine who did this to them? How could they forget about that day? There was no way they could.

Sanji gulped. "Go on." he only said.

"W-well… he sent everyone of you away, even though they all, except for you and Chopper, were d-dead…" Now it was Luffy's turn to gulp. Sanji suddenly regretted asking that question and bringing unpleasent memories back, but now it was too late. Luffy continued.

"I-I do know now why he did this… Kuma once was part of my father's army and maybe still is and that's why he maybe didn't want to let the marines have my… our nakama… Ivankov told me."

Sanji bit his lip at the mention of that name. Ivankov, that stupid guy who had helped Luffy. Actually he should be grateful to him, but oh well. "I see."

"Yeah… well, before he sent me away he said 'Don't give it up, mugiwara. Two of your members are still breathing.' Back then I didn't get his message, but my subconscious mind somehow must have registered it…" Luffy explained, scratching his chin.

To say Sanji was impressed was an understatement. For once, Luffy appeared like an old wise man the way he talked! Since when did Luffy know such big words? Oh well, never mind. He shouldn't wonder about the mystery called 'Luffy'. Many people went to the dogs after trying to solve that mystery, so why should he bother to understand him?

"I get it… and in your fever you remembered what he told you all of sudden… weird." Sanji said to himself. So Luffy had been the last one to be sent away? It must have been horrible to see every single one of his nakama vanish. Now that he thought about it, Luffy actually was the only one of the three strawhats who witnessed everyone being shot. Sanji clenched his fists. He shouldn't think about those depressing memories anymore. If Luffy wanted to talk, he would, right? He shouldn't worry about it. He was too tired anyways.

"Man, I'm exhausted… we better go to sleep now." Sanji suggested groggily.

"Yeah I guess…" Luffy said, then yawned. He really was very tired.

**-X-Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-**

The next morning, Ace wasn't that surprised to see Luffy already up and having a lively discussion with Sanji. Ace smiled at that, knowing that his little brother had never been sick for long. Luffy seemed so happy that Ace couldn't bring himself to enter the kitchen. The twenty-year-old feared he would destroy the light atmosphere, so instead he went to the mast and sat down, staring into the gray sky.

Ace couldn't help but let a huge grin creep into his face. Two of Luffy's nakama were actually alive! That helped Ace a lot. Luffy would heal much quicker with their support. Ace sighed softly as he observed how Chopper shyly entered the kitchen and joined the conversation.

Maybe he should let them talk. It was his brother's crew after all. They probably had some private things to talk about or shared memories of the other nakama who… Ace couldn't even think about it. He didn't really know those people, but they meant the world to his little brother.

"-So you two are still searching for-?" Chopper stated but was cut off in mid-sentence by Luffy himself, who was a bit agitated by the recent events and nodded furiously.

"Yes, of course! But now Ace wants to support me to become the Pirate King, not Whitebeard anymore since the old guy… well, died on the battlefield. I'm gonna find One Piece! And Blackbeard of course, we will beat him." Luffy grinned self-confidently but Sanji and Chopper didn't miss the disgust Luffy's slight glare held for Blackbeard.

A short pause followed after the young strawhat boy had murmured "…and we will beat Akainu." They didn't need to ask why Akainu should be beaten, they'd already read about the incident at Marineford. Akainu, the man who had killed Garp the Hero as he protected his grandchildren. A horrible and creepy magma guy with enormous power. But neither Sanji nor Chopper had the slightest doubt the two D. brothers would succeed.

"Ace and me have formed an own crew, the D. brothers!" Luffy all of sudden said proudly but just as soon as those words left his lips he regretted saying that. He went silent in an instant. The seventeen-year-old looked into two almost crestfallen faces. Luffy dropped his head, staring at the ground instead.

His two crewmates looked really hurt, and Luffy really didn't mean to hurt his friends. _They probably must feel just as miserable as I do, how can I say that to them?_ he thought to himself, biting his bottom lip in regret. The way he said he and Ace were a new crew made it sound as if Luffy didn't need Sanji and Chopper anymore.

The silence pressed down onto his shoulders like a weight and treated to crush him forcefully, so he quickly tried to break it first.

"Well – er… I-I'm really happy to have met the two of you here…" he said a bit nervously and gulped as there was no reaction on his friends' faces. He had no idea of what he should say now, and as Luffy opened his mouth to apologize, no words came out.

It was weird but Luffy was at a loss of words. So instead of continuing the conversation about their futures, Luffy made a huge mistake. One he would regret later. The young man just stood up, a hard look on his face, went out of the kitchen and shut the door loudly, making the other two flinch at the slam. Then Chopper and Sanji were left alone in the room which suddenly seemed so cold and repellent.

They silently exchanged looks but none of them dared to say a word.

Ace blinked at the noise and saw Luffy passing him wordlessly. Frowning at this odd behavior, the big brother jumped up and followed the younger to the figure's head where Luffy sat down. The young man stared to the ocean and watched a bunch of fishes swimming by.

"Say, what's the matter? You seem a bit … gloomy all of sudden." Ace reached out to lay a hand upon the younger one's shoulder but Luffy's hard voice made him flinch back.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," He said in the coldest tone Ace'd ever heard from Luffy, and added, "I'm just being an ass."

"Do I have to understand that?" Ace blinked as he asked that, not sure of what to think of Luffy's weird statement. "What the heck were you talking about in the kitchen?"

"I told them about our new formed crew. The D. brothers."

"So what? What's wrong with that?"

"I made it sound as if our crew was better than my old one! I-" Luffy snapped but didn't finish. Instead he shut his eyes and grabbed his head, shaking it roughly. Ace eyes grew bigger and at once he knew what was going on.

'It must be another flashback' shot through his head. Not wasting a second he shot forward and hugged the shivering Luffy close to his chest, murmuring something into his ear only for Luffy to understand.

"The two of them really share a strong bond." Chopper commented silently as he and Sanji watched the scene, standing in front of the opened kitchen door. The blonde agreed quietly and lit another cigarette, throwing the old one into the ocean.

He and Chopper knew Luffy hadn't meant it. They knew Luffy needed them, both of them, more than ever and would never let any of them go, even if they wanted to leave. They knew Luffy was hurt and only wanted everyone around him to be happy. They knew what kind of state Luffy was in. But they could only guess what was going on inside Luffy's mind.

No one really knew what Luffy was feeling deep inside. He didn't want anyone to know, because that would mean the people he loved would only worry more about him. Luffy didn't want that. He only wanted Ace, Sanji and Chopper to smile, even if that meant he himself couldn't truly smile.

Luffy shook a bit more and Ace felt something wet on his shoulder and sighed. Luffy wasn't in a good shape he had to admit. Maybe they left the safe island back on good old Grand Line too fast. Maybe he shouldn't have taken Luffy out to the New World so quickly. But now it was too late.

"Hey Lu… is it okay now?" Ace asked, head leaning on Luffy's black mop. Now both of them were sitting on the figurehead, with Luffy on Ace's lap.

A soft nod was the answer but that didn't satisfy Ace. "We're on Thousand Sunny, remember? Sanji and Chopper are here, right?" Luffy nodded again, this time Ace could feel a slight hesitation in the nod.

"That's a great thing, isn't it? You have two of your dearest nakama back. It is a good thing, right?" Ace said again, wanting Luffy to answer in words. Ace wasn't sure whether Luffy understood his situation fully.

"Yes, it is amazing."

"Are you happy?" Luffy began to hesitate again. Ace wondered what was going on in his little brother's mind but didn't want to continue asking questions.

"… I'm not sure. I know there are still people around me who care about me." Luffy inhaled deeply as if speaking was the most difficult thing in the world. "And I do care about them. A lot. But I'm confused as heck, and I don't know why, but… there's a small feeling inside me that causes me to worry… I don't know what it is…" Luffy drifted off.

Ace didn't answer or bother to ask new questions. He was about to find out what was giving his brother such a hard time and nodded to himself as he finally got it. "I get the picture." he said more to himself than to Luffy.

But Luffy hadn't even caught it, too lost in his own thoughts. Ace decided he should talk about that with the other two. Maybe it would be better to let Luffy rest a little more.

**-Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-**

"So he practically wants to get rid of Chopper and me because he fears he will lose us again?" Sanji repeated, not believing his ears. Ace nodded. "Not really 'getting rid of you', he would rather want to put you on the safest unoccupied island he can find and come back after he becomes Pirate King."

Sanji ignored that. "You are telling me that Luffy doubts himself?" Another nod. Sanji was losing his patience.

"What. The. Fuck?" A vein popped up on Sanji's forehead.

"S-Sanji, calm down… that doesn't bring us anywhere…" The small doctor tried to calm the cook a bit and looked up to him in a silent plea not to lose it now.

Sanji snuffled angrily and sat down again, glaring at Ace. He didn't even know why he was mad at Luffy's older brother. Sanji sighed, apologizing for snapping at him.

"Naa, it's alright. I understand how you must feel." Ace reassured, smiling gently. Sanji smiled back. Ace wore the same smile as Luffy, but, Sanji had to admit, Luffy's smile was much more powerful. Still it had a calming effect on the cook.

"I understand why Luffy adores you so much." Sanji suddenly said and caused Ace to wonder about that statement. "Ehm… you really know how to take care of him, I mean. We saw how you helped him earlier as he was thinking about… bad memories. You did a fine job calming him." The nineteen-year-old had no idea why he was telling Ace this, but it couldn't have been easy for the young man, so a little support was appropriate.

Ace nodded, smile back present on his face. "Thanks."

"Uh… I don't want to interrupt anything really, but what are we going to do now?" Chopper innocently piped up. Ace and Sanji blushed a bit at Chopper's word choice, realizing how awkward they must have looked, smiling at each other like that.

But Ace didn't let himself get thrown for a loop that easily. He cleared his throat, went back into his worried-older-brother mode and erased that embarrassing incident between him and Sanji from his memory. "That I would like to hear from you, that's why I told you this." Ace said.

"It isn't easy…" Sanji agreed, nibbling on his cigarette. The cook didn't even notice the cigarette wasn't smoking anymore.

The trio continued to think in silence, everyone of them was at a loss.

Then Ace groaned and rubbed his temples. "Okay, let's analyze the problem differently. First, what do we know?"

Sanji and Chopper groggily looked up and sat there unmoving for a second. Ace was so much different from Luffy, the way he talked, acted. Ace actually used his brain! He planned and thought about what to do next, not like the hot-headed moron called Luffy who just did what he thought was right, not thinking about his actions.

The two quickly pushed these thoughts aside. Luffy may be a baka sometimes, but no one could tell them their captain was stupid, because he wasn't. The seventeen-year-old often appeared planless and unsystematic but he could be pretty clever and wily even if he himself didn't know that. That's Luffy for you.

Seeing the other two deep in thought, the oldest of the three harrumphed loudly. Soon all attention was on him. Satisfied, Ace continued.

"Well, we know that Luffy's scared of losing you, as silly as it may sound. And we also know that he apparently doesn't feel strong enough to be able to protect you." The other two nodded silently.

Ace sighed. "So… we need to address the problem by the root, and need to show Luffy his own strength?" He half asked, half stated.

"Well, err… yes." Sanji said, scratching the mini beard on his chin. Somehow, this sounded weird and just wrong. They all knew that Luffy brimmed over with confidence and reliance, so… to make it short and simple: their plan seemed silly.

"Poor Luffy," Chopper murmured, not liking the idea of Luffy being scared. But he could understand his captain's feelings; he must be feeling even worse than he was.

"Guys, all we need to do is cheer Luffy up a bit and wait until the next fight. He'll kick someone's strong ass and will be happy again. It's simple." Ace said, grinning. All his little brother needed was a little push and everything would be fine.

Chopper and Sanji agreed with that. Maybe it wasn't that hard after all.

Meanwhile, Luffy rolled his eyes. He sat with his back leaning against the kitchen door on the ground and crossed his arms. "Those three baka. I'm not deaf or anything. I could hear them talking about me from the lion's head." Luffy grumbled to himself, clearly pissed at the fact Ace had found out about his secret fear. But his brother wasn't completely right.

Because Luffy wasn't scared not to be strong enough to protect his friends. The strawhat boy knew he had become enormously strong, so strong he needed to release all the power built up inside him soon or he would explode!

No, his problem was that he feared to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. That was his biggest fear. What if he was fighting some freaky guy somewhere while his nakama needed him elsewhere?

What if he didn't know Sanji and Chopper were in danger while not being with them? Or what if he was helping Chopper while Sanji needed support too or the other way round?

He couldn't split up into two fighting machines after all! So what should he do? The others wouldn't understand, would they? They'd probably shake their heads at him.

An annoyed sounding sigh escaped his throat and he stood up, launching himself over to the Sunny's head. Ace and the others better not know he had listened to their conversation.

As Luffy sat down and stared at the vast sea in front of him, he noticed something in the distance. Narrowing his eyes, the strawhat boy realized what it was and turned around immediately, shouting:

"Guys! An island! Land ho!"

**-Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-Y-**

"Housoku no Shima?" (1)

"Yeah, that's the name of the island."

Luffy frowned at that."Why? Is there a marine base?" he asked.

"There's no marine base on it, don't worry. Otherwise we would try to avoid it," Ace answered. "But actually, I've been wondering about that name too."

"Robin would have a clever explanation to that," Luffy commented sadly, earning a whack over the head by Sanji.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?"

"You know you deserve it, so just shut up." Sanji grumbled back. He hated it when Luffy reminded him of sad memories, especially at a time like that.

"Damnit Sanji, be nice to him!" Ace hissed like a cat. "Remember what we discussed before?"

Sanji quickly nodded upon seeing the dangerous glow in Ace's eyes. The cook made a note to himself: Never hit Luffy, shout at him or be impolite to him as long as Ace is near enough to punish you for it!

The three men had already landed and ordered Chopper to stay at the ship, just in case. Luffy had protested, not feeling right with leaving one precious nakama back but they could persuade him to leave Chopper alone. The little doctor himself had said it was fine and smiled and waved at them, but still Luffy didn't feel comfortable. But maybe he was just worrying for nothing.

Now they went along the beach in search for a city to restock their supplies. The island wasn't that huge, but it was large enough not to see the other side of it. There were rocks and plants and many trees to be seen- here were even a few deer. It seemed peaceful.

But Luffy, Sanji and Ace were clueless that it wasn't as peaceful as it seemed to be there. They didn't know what was happening at the other side of the island. But soon they would find out why the island was called 'Housoku no Shima'.

A few kilometers away, there was a big town with lots of habitants. They seemed happy but if you took a closer look you would notice they weren't happy at all, but in fact… scared. Scared of a guy who was playing with his power, doing as he pleased. He'd just returned from war and seemed even more insane than before.

The man's name was Donquixote Doflamingo.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

**(1) Housoku no Shima means Law Island. Well I was thinking about a name for this island. So I randomly opened the Japanese dictionary and chose the most fitting word I could find on that page: And that was housoku.**

**Well, here I go again… sorry for ANOTHER cliffhanger! Well, it's getting really exciting, right? I'll try and update as quick as possible.**

**That was the longest chapter so far, I hope you had fun reading! Please don't forget to review, they're always greatly appreciated! **

**Until next time :)**


	8. Voices

**Hello people! I must apologize for updating so late! I feel so bad for letting you all wait after such a cliffhanger, sorry guys! I had my final exams but now that school stuff's over and I can fully concentrate on writing again :)**

**Really, I feel so happy so many reviewed last chapter! Thank you!**

**SniperKingSogeking0341:****Yeah, sorry. But at least there's Sanji and Chopper, ne?**

**Ichigo1508:****Thanks! To answer truthfully: I have no idea, that weird guy's actions are so strange! I really wanna know what this man is up to and all and from whom he recieves all those 'orders' as well. I wonder what Oda has planned for him... I know, sorry! Well I wouldn't be surprised if Eiichiro Oda came up with them first xD! Thank you ;) Lol yes I do.**

**anna****: Thanks for reviewing twice! That's very kind of you. Thank you so much :D Aw, it makes me so happy to hear that =3**

**Llaelien****: Sorry -bows- the update took me like forever...**

**crazzyredhead****: Yeah, well I thought a little action would be great. ^^**

**Thanks to ****Silver Shadowbreeze****, my beta reader!**

**Warning: Blood; insane Doflamingo; lots of cursing.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, it belongs to Eiichiro Oda sensei!**

**XYXYXYXYXYXYXY**

**Chapter 8 – Voices**

He was walking along the beach, hands in his pockets as usual, the dark lilac sunglasses covering his eyes. A soft breeze blew through the pink feather boa-like coat the odd man wore. Another unusual thing to notice was his way of walking- more like _waddling_. He resembled a bird that way, giving the impression of a smirking flamingo.

If you were to meet this Shichibukai for the first time, you surely would never get the idea of him being a Shichibukai, an ex-pirate with the dangerously high bounty of 340 million beli. He just didn't appear like a strong or dangerous man with his foolish appearance. But that mistake could take your life. Because Doflamingo, this silly looking man who didn't seem to give a care in the world, was indeed dangerous.

As he wandered around, careless and obviously bored, his gaze fell upon a huge object that was a few hundred meters ahead. Raising a brow, Doflamingo wondered who the hell would freely dock on this island like that without trying to hide, because almost everyone knew hewas currently living here. Only an idiot pirate would want to visit an island with such a strong Shichibukai on it. After a few more steps the man realized whose ship it was and found himself slightly surprised.

"Strawhat...? What is that brat and his brother doing here? Fufufufu, so they really are serious about going after One Piece again after all...rowdy nettlers." Talking to no one in particular since there was no one else around, Doflamingo grinned his trademark grin.

It emphasized his growing interest in the situation and he somewhat excitedly wondered what would happen next. The man wasn't sure whether the two pirates knew of his presence nor did he know who or what he would find on that ship. But that only made it even more interesting for him.

"Shall I burn that ship down or sell it..? Hmm..." Doflamingo murmured to himself, not sure what to do next. But he had time to think about his next step, so why hurry? Suddenly, he halted abruptly and blinked. There, someone was on deck! But Doflamingo was sure it hadn't been the strawhat brat or the fire user guy. There he was again! Or rather... _it_?

Doflamingo's ugly smirk went from one ear to the other as he realized what must have happened. 'So that bastard Kuma saved Strawhats' poor poor nakama... at least that monster. The captain and his big bro must have gone to the city.'

"Fufufu! What an ignorant move of you, strawhat! Just leaving one of your precious nakama of yours behind like that... you shall be punished for that! Now this is going to be fun! For me, I might add, fufufu!"

With that, the former pirate rubbed his hands greedily as if he couldn't wait for his sadistic and actions to begin. Oh how he loved to use his abilities for abusing matters.

**Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-Y-X-Y**

"H-Huh..?" Chopper's head snapped up. The doctor blinked and glanced around the ship. Something wasn't right there... he felt so tense all of sudden. And if there was one thing in this world Chopper could rely on, then it was his animalistic instincts. At the moment, mentioned instincts were loudly ringing their alarm bells.

Sniffing the air, the doctor realized there must be someone else. And if it wasn't for Choppers thick and fluffy fur, you could have seen the goosebumps he got. It scared him. He wasn't alone. There was someone else out there, some stranger.

"W-who is there?" Chopper bravely announced. No one answered. There was only the sound of the calm ocean and the wind that blew through the near forest. But he could have sworn he'd heard something else before! Someone's voice, there had been a man talking to himself!

No matter how hard he looked around, he couldn't spot anyone on deck and no one was to be seen around the ship. It made him even more nervous.

It was a man, and it was none of his nakama, that he could tell for sure. This man was smelling like... a flamingo..? Whatever. He didn't know anyone who smelled that weird! If only Luffy was here now, or Sanji or Ace or Zor-

Wait. That would be impossible. Zoro was...

Chopper shook his head. What was wrong with him? He shouldn't kept on distracting himself in serious situations like this! He was the one who had to protect their precious ship, no matter what, and he'd sworn to himself not to fail! And he wouldn't!

Chopper narrowed his eyes and fully concentrated on his heightened senses. His ears were perked up but still he couldn't hear anything. He couldn't see anyone around, nor could he smell the trademark flamingo smell anymore... Slowly, he was beginning to doubt wherever there was someone around or not. Had it been his imagination?

But then it happened. His alarm bells rang loud and clear, trying to warn him of the danger from behind and all his senses perked up. He could feel his blood freeze in his veins and for a second his heart seemed to stop.

The uncomfortable but all too familiar feeling known as fear slowly crept up his back, making him shudder. Chopper knew what was wrong. There was someone standing behind him, the mystery person with the flamingo smell. The little reindeer gasped and wanted to turn around but nothing happened.

"W-what... who are y-you?" It took him much effort to actually speak to the creepy person but as the question left his mouth, no one answered. So he gathered all his corage and tried again, this time in a louder and stronger voice.

"What do you want? Wh-what did you do to my body?" Chopper wanted to turn around so badly, he wanted to see the person, to be able to defend himself proberly! "I-I can't move at all!"

"Guess I'm to blame for that, little one." A voice finally responded but didn't make Chopper feel any better with the new recieved information. Truth be told, this guy was giving him the creeps. If only he could fight! But his limbs felt so... numb! As if a strange and foreign power had taken over, possesing his body.

"N-nani?" _What?_ Chopper began to shiver uncontrollably as fear completely took over. The person behind him must be strong, his instinct told him that much. Strong and dangerous.

This dangerous man could do whatever he wanted with him. Chopper knew he was totally unprotected. The man could pierce him from behind any second! Chopper bit his lip and did the only thing he could do: silently hope that Luffy and the others would return soon.

"Fufufufu~! What will you do now, Strawhat? Will you try to kill me after I'm done here? Or will _you_ be killed by your own innocent nakama? Let the fun begin! We will see who is the stronger one in the end!" Doflamingo's unique, somewhat ominous, laugh followed … and then silence.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

Ace smiled cheekily and swung his arms around like crazy. "And this is the _infamous_ town called... ehm..." he began but stopped as he narrowed his eyes to make out the words written on the sign that read the town's name. Both Sanji and Luffy exchanged looks and blinked in unison.

"...Ehm.. ah! Bashou no Toshinana- the place of seven towns! Well, in case if you wonder about that name, lemme explain it to you. A few hundreds of years ago, there were seven small towns on that island. But as a few decades passed and more people moved to that island, and the seven towns began to grow rapidly until they formed a single, big one together.

He took in a quick breath. "It's an old town, about 80 years old! In fact, it's the _oldest_ town on the whole island! And may I show you the wonderful-"

"Uhm, Ace, if I recall correctly then it is the _only_ town on the island, right?" Sanji asked with a bored expression and a roll of his eyes. He wasn't really in the mood to be joking around although it was kind of Ace to try and cheer them up with acting all like a freaking tourist guide.

"How do you know that all, by the way? Have you been to this town before?" Sanji wanted to know.

"Nope, but I've read tons of books about the New World's islands, and in one of them this town was mentioned." Ace answered, grinning widely.

Luffy on the other hand couldn't really laugh about something like that. Okay, normally he would have joined his brother in the fun immediately and without thinking twice, but this time was different. Something was on his mind.

There, deep inside him, was a small nagging feeling that kept on growing. It made him feel extremely uncomfortable and he just knew he shouldn't be here now! Luffy desperately thought about the possibilities what could be wrong, what the weird feeling was about, but he just couldn't put a finger on it.

"Okay okay, I know you don't like to fool around now. Geez, you two really are such wet blankets." Ace shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets, taking a closer look at the town. It was a big one, that much he could tell, and there was something about it.. .that created a weird, almost _tense_ atmosphere.

Then, Ace realized what it was or rather who caused this. The people, who seemed to be scared of something or someone. Everyone hurried over the streets, looking around frantically. They avoided the smaller streets and hardly stopped anywhere near dark places, as if there was a dangerous creature baring its fangs at them, waiting for its next victim.

Sanji began to frown and looked inquiringly at Ace, who shrugged. Honestly, he had no idea what was wrong with them. But that just needed to be found out then.

"Did you notice?" Sanji murmured to Ace as he lit a new cigarette, leaning closer to him, "Every person is walking alone."

Ace looked at the townspeople and raised a surprised brow. Indeed, the cook was right! Absolutely no one was walking with anyone else. They practically seemed to avoid _each other_ as well! No boys holding hands with girlfriends, no kids walking beside their parents, and so on and so forth. It was... a sad sight.

"What the heck is wrong here? What's with these guys?" Sanji said almost unbelievingly. He couldn't really think of a logical reason for the people's odd behaviour. Great, another strange island. Sanji had hoped to land on a normal isle with a calm and happy atmosphere... but then again, they were in the New World, so how could he possibly hope for a peaceful island?

"I guess there's only one way to find out... let's grab one of them." Ace suggested, already looking for someone fitting. Sanji nodded and pointed at a teenager who looked about eighteen years old. He had dark brown hair and wasn't too far away from them, hurriedly crossing a road towards them.

Luffy hadn't really bothered with all that. He had been lost in his own thoughts, facing a special spot at the ground. Suddenly, his heart felt... heavy. No, not _heavy_ … it was more like.. a small pain he felt. Luffy gulped, eyes wide, as he slapped a hand across his chest, feeling his heart wildly drumming against his ribs.

Yeah, it hurt. It felt as if a spear pierced right through his heart, leaving a huge opened hole which began to bleed. Luffy gasped. What was this feeling? He didn't know what was going on, but he knew for sure it didn't mean something good. Luffy turned his head around and looked at the nearby forest from where they had come from. Damn, they shouldn't be in this town.

From far away, he noticed Ace was talking to a boy at his age who looked afraid of something. What were they talking about? Luffy felt it was something important which only made his heart drum faster and his hands to slightly tremble. A thick knot began to form inside his throat and he suddenly realized why he was feeling so weird. He was scared. Scared for his nakama.

"W-well... I shouldn't be talking to strangers but I guess it'd be only fair for you to know who the head of this town is." The brown-haired boy began with a slight tremble in his voice. Sanji and Ace listened tensed. "It is a man called Donquixote Doflamingo. I believe you know him, he's very famous and all." The boy said, without knowing what huge impact his statement had on the three.

Both Ace and Sanji gaped at the teenager, obviously taken aback by that. Luffy's ears perked up and his fingernails unconsciously began to dig into his chest due to the information he'd recieved.

"Uhm.. sorry, it's getting late and I gotta go now. Take care!" The boy quickly said as he realized the shocked faces of the others and felt uneasy around them. He bowed politely and within seconds he had disappeared around the next corner.

Ace and Sanji watched the boy vanish with a slightly troubled expression, then they turned around. "W-woah... that guy's a Shichibukai, isn't he?" Sanji asked. If one of those guys was on this island, then it meant trouble in any case.

Ace nodded slowly, giving Sanji a very serious look that somehow didn't fit to the usual smiling man. "Uh-huh... and he's a pretty strong one, too. I've heard some rumors about that guy and he had been at the war, too. He's freaking insane. We need to be damn careful... Actually, we should leave as soon as possible!"

The two were stopped in their discussion as they heard Luffy inhaling sharply. They looked at him in wonder.

"Luffy? What's-" But Sanji bit his tongue as he saw his nakama staring at them with wide, unfocused eyes. Luffy's breath began to hitch and he paled, face white as a sheet.

"What the?" Sanji added. They hadn't even noticed, but now that he thought about it, their little troublemaker had been damn silent the whole time. And this was never a good sign.

"I..." Luffy began and clenched his right fist until the knuckles turned white. Now he had quite an idea of what was wrong.

"What Luffy?" Ace pressed down, not wanting his brother to stop.

"Don't you notice this?" the seventeen-year-old asked in a tensed tone of voice, now putting his hands over his ears. His dark eyes travelled to the forest.

"Huh? What?"

"This... this silence!" Luffy said, sweat ran down his forehead. He could've sworn there had been Chopper talking to him before, telling him to come back but now... he couldn't hear that voice anymore.

"The.. .silence?" Ace blinked. What was Luffy trying to tell them? "Yeah, it is quiet. So what?"

"Luffy, what is wrong? If you don't tell us then how are we supposed to help you? Just come to the point!" The cook barked, losing his patience.

Luffy's eyes snapped to him. "Goddammit, the silence on our ship!" he eventually blurted out. Before Ace or Sanji could respond, Luffy continued, rather upset.

"Chopper's silence! I-I can't hear his voice anymore! But there's a voice of someone else! We need to go back NOW!"

Ace gasped, realizing. "Doflamingo."

Sanji didn't quite get what Luffy was talking about, but realizing the gravity of their situation, he didn't press any further onto it. He resolutely followed the two dashing back, preparing for the worst.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

"Hmm, finally they are coming back! I was wondering how long I would have to wait, fufufu!" Doflamingo sat on the lion figurehead, his cheeky smirk present.

"YOU!" Luffy shouted as he and the other two appeared before the Sunny. The Shichibukai didn't move an inch, just continued to arrogantly stare down on them.

"Yeah?" he innocently asked back, crossing his arms.

"Don't play dumb with us! Get the fuck down there! What the hell did you do to Chopper?" Sanji yelled, furious by now. If this arrogant fop had dared to lay a finger on their doctor... then he couldn't guarantee for anything.

Ace went into a fighting stance, setting his fist on fire to demonstrate they were completely serious. "What. Do. You. Want." Ace growled dangerously deep, glaring at the blond-haired Shichibukai.

"Me? Oh, I thought messing with brats like you was a little fun. Why do you ask?" was the arrogant answer they got, making them even more furious.

Sanji and Luffy looked around, but much to their worry they couldn't spot Chopper anywhere. Luffy then made an attempt to jump on board but before he could do so, Doflamingo stood up and went to the railing.

"Now, now, what's the hurry? Your little doctor is over here and he's perfectly fine. Why don't you want to come over here and greet your friends?" Doflamingo turned around and looked at Chopper who struggled to move. Much to the reindeer's dismay he found his body didn't obey his brain's orders anymore.

"Ooh, you don't want to come? Because they left you alone on the ship? Aw, I can understand that perfectly. Sorry guys, but he doesn't want to see you. How 'bout you come later again?" the Shichibukai snickered, thinking he was very funny. Apparently, he was having a great time.

Luffy bit his lip hard enough to draw a line of blood that ran down his chin."You freaking bastard! Don't you dare and make fun of my nakama!"

Doflamingo only laughed at that, raising his hands. "Now, let the fun begin!"

Ignoring the man's actions, Luffy decided enough was enough and prepared to attack. Inhaling deeply, he shot himself at the Sunny's deck, not listening to his brother who shouted at him to stop.

"Luffy! Don't go fighting blindly, he's too strong!" Ace warned but it was too late, Luffy was already on deck. The older brother wanted to follow immediately, but Sanji held him back.

"Hold on! Let him fight, maybe that's just the thing Luffy needs at the moment!" Sanji said despite the fact he got a bad feeling about this. "He can handle it. Don't you have any trust in Luffy? He's strong, you said so yourself, remember?" Ace turned to him, pretty pissed off.

"It's not like that! It doesn't matter whether I trust in him or not, don't you get it? What would all the oh-so-great trust help me if that guy kills Luffy? Trust doesn't save his life!" he spat, leaving Sanji at a loss of words. Somehow, the things Ace said made sense in a terrible way. Maybe he was right? Would all the trust help Luffy in the end? Did it make him stronger? Sanji wasn't so sure anymore.

Back on the ship, Luffy was ready to fire a nice Gomu Gomu Get Gatling at Doflamingo as he suddenly saw something in the corner of his eye moving.

Luffy hardly had enough time to dodge as a hoove was aimed at his face. With a quick motion the teen threw himself onto the ground and looked up with wide eyes. He couldn't believe what he saw.

"Chopper!" He managed to say before another attack was aimed at him.

"Kokutei Roseo!"

Luffy was far too stunned to move out of the way, consequently the attack hit him full force. Yelling in pain as the hoove created a laceration on is forehead, he was sent flying against the mast.

"What the hell? What's wrong with you? Say something!" Luffy demanded but his nakama didn't react at all, acting as if he wouldn't give a care in the world. This was so... out of character, Chopper would never act like that! This was definitely NOT their doctor! Then Chopper stared at him and began to attack again.

"Woah! Stop it!" Luffy ducked, not wanting to hit his friend back. "Oi, Chopper! It's me, Luffy, remember?" Blood ran down his head and Luffy had to blink not to get it into his eyes. He didn't quite understand what was going on and found himself confused as hell. Doflamingo must've done something to the reindeer.

"Eh?" Luffy gasped, he was trapped. He couldn't escape, behind him the railing and then the ocean, before him Chopper. What on earth was wrong with Chopper? Luffy thought again, irritated. He would never _ever_-

"Kokutei Diamond!" The reindeer in his transformed form shouted and before Luffy knew it, he felt an awful pain in his stomach. Crashing onto the floor, Luffy coughed, eyes shut. "I-It hurts? ...Haki?"

"Fufufu! It's always refreshing to watch funny fights like this!" Doflamingo chuckled, sitting cross-legged on the deck.

Luffy sent the coldest and most murderous glare he'd ever created towards the Shichibukai, and for a second it seemed as if Doflamingo actually flinched. This didn't go unnoticed by Luffy. He stood up and wiped the blood away from his mouth.

"You damn flamingo! What did you do to Chopper!" Luffy lifted his fists and concentrated at Doflamingo, determined not to hurt Chopper. If he beat that guy, then Chopper would be back to normal, right?

"Ya little brat! You shouldn't drop your guard like that, naive stipling." Back to his amused self, the Shichibukai watched in interest as Luffy frowned.

"Wha-" but he never got the chance to finish his sentence as he felt immense pang in his side. He hadn't been prepared for this as he was focused on his opponent before him, so Luffy didn't even realize someone standing beside him.

"Aaargh!" Luffy gasped loudly. It hurt too much at the moment, all his normal senses were blocked out by the sudden and tremendous pain. Luffy noticed almost immediately the horrible smell of burnt flesh and felt a wave of nausea coming. This was definitely not Chopper's doing. Seconds later Luffy was back on his feet, stumbling slightly as he held his burning side. "Who-"

"Higan!" An all too familiar voice. Luffy, despite his obvious shock, jumped to the side, thanks to his excellent reflexes that had awoken again.

"Ace?" Luffy gasped. Ace, his hands formed to pistols, continued to shoot bullets made of fire at him. And then Sanji jumped onto deck as well, crackling his knuckles. "S-Sanji too!" it wasn't a question but rather a shocked statement. Now all his nakama were fighting against him and he could do nothing but dodge.

Luffy gulped, it felt as if a cold hand was greedily grabbing his heart and wouldn't let go of it. This couldn't be, he thought again, this couldn't be real! His _own_ nakama were fighting against him with the obvious aim to _kill_ him... but he would never fight back, no matter what! Luffy would never forgive himself if he hurt his own friends, he would rather die.

That feeling, that determination to always be ready to die for his nakama only had grown after the horrible events on Sabaody Archipelago and at the Marineford. Luffy had sworn to himself to protect everything he had left, and not to fight his nakama!

"Guys, wake up! Dammit! It's me!" Luffy jumped aside, blood dropped to the ground and he started to pant like a dog. He'd been hit by Ace and Sanji too many times.

No matter what Luffy did, his nakama continued with their blind attacks that hurt even more due to the fact that haki was used. Even in the middle of this huge mess, Luffy was left in wonder how the hell it was possible for his friends to suddenly use haki (excluding Ace, from whom Luffy knew he had the Haoshoku as well).

Then Luffy got near to Doflamingo and clenched his fists. "What did you do to them? Turn them back to normal, you bastard!"

"But then my entertainment would be gone... that wouldn't be any fun." Doflamingo replied cool-headed and as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Before Luffy could respond, his alarm bells rang and he shot around just in time to see another attack by his nakama. Sanji kicked Ace into his direction while his brother was being engulfed by dark red flames. As if that wasn't enough already, Chopper came from the other side, in his human form with a strong fist rising.

Wasting no time, the strawhat boy launched himself away from the two attackers and hung in the air on the mast, trying to order his thoughts. What should he do now? He couldn't fully focus on Doflamingo as long as his nakama were desperately fighting him, and kicking the Shichibukai's ass while dodging attacks from _three_ though guys at the same time was out of question!

The burning Ace landed gracefully without harming the ship and shot a burning fist towards his little brother. Just that second, Sanji came from behind and before Luffy knew it, the hot flames burnt his skin again and the strong haki-laced kick broke four of his ribs, causing an awful cracking sound.

Gasping in pain, Luffy dropped to the floor like a sack of rice. There he panted hard, lying in his own pool of blood. There was a deep wound in his side from Ace's previous attack and he lost lots of blood, too much. Luffy coughed, gasping for air.

"Hm, this is interesting! You keep on playing the hero? Don't make me laugh, you'd have to fight back eventually, otherwise they are going to kill you. But then, I wouldn't mind if the infamous rookie who is said to be full of surprises died today. I just wonder what would mean that for the new pirate era?" Doflamingo commented, a finger on tapping on his chin. "Weren't you the... _white hope_ of that wannabe pirate Shanks? What would he say if he saw you like that? Fufufu~!"

Luffy just tired to overhear his statemeant, he knew the Shichibukai was only trying to tease him. But he made a silent note to himself to make sure and hit the guy into the face for that later. For daring and making fun of his hero Shanks.

Suddenly, a shudder went through strawhat teen's body and all his thoughts were forgotten. At the moment, all Luffy could think of was his pain. Not only the pain of his burnt flesh, his bleeding head or the broken ribs. Actually, all that wasn't the worst part. What hurt him really was that Doflamingo had his nakama fighting against him while watching amused. Because Doflamingo thought of all that as a big, hilarious game, nothing more.

This was so damn _wrong_. Nakama didn't fight each other. Nakama were family, and they weren't supposed to harm each other. Nope, nakama meant friendship and friendship meant _trust_.

Doflamingo currently was making fun of them, their trust, their strong bond and everything that stood for the remaining strawhat crew. He was using a dirty way to destroy their pride.

That was just cruel, sadistic and inhuman. Doflamingo abused his great powers and at the same time appeared so damn carefree. It made Luffy _furious_. This man needed others to suffer for his own entertainment. How could someone do something like that? How could be something like that fun? Luffy probably would never understand. He only understood this guy needed to be beaten up.

"Haah... haah...hah.." Luffy panted and shakily stood up again. He hated the sight of blood, even if it was his own. It only reminded him of death, death of people he loved. That was the most terrifying thing for Luffy. He shivered, pushing that aside forcefully, and focused on his opponent.

His nakama gathered around him, their faces expressionless. The looks they gave him were cold, so cold it made a freezing shudder run down Luffy's spine. It was far worse than back when Aokiji had completely frozen his body.

He knew it was useless to try and talk to them. Their minds seemed far gone. Did his nakama even know what Doflamingo was doing with their bodies? Did they realize they were fighting him? Maybe they were just trapped in their own bodies... an awful thought.

His legs were about to give out under his weight that seemed to have increased. He felt so heavy, so sleepy, so exhausted. All he wanted to do now was going to sleep...

_No!_ Luffy shook his head and rolled aside to dodge Chopper's attack successfully. He couldn't lose focus now, he needed to concentrate. There was a way out of this disaster- all he needed to do was find it!

Luffy knew, he didn't want to give up. No, he wanted to kick Doflamingo's ass! For what he did to his friends, for what he did to Oars back then at the war and for everyone innocent who had to suffer from this guy's insane actions.

"Still not giving up?" The Shichibukai said, grinning like a maniac.

But instead of giving a proper answer to that, Luffy growled. "You're really starting to piss me off."

Ace hit Luffy into the stomach with his burning fist again. Luffy didn't even moan although he almost blacked out from the immense pain. His red vest was already torn to pieces, revealing his burnt flesh and a huge 'x'-shaped scar at his chest. Luffy was bleeding all over, and his blood dropped to the deck, leaving crimson red spots everywhere.

Sweat was running down his forehead and his vision was slightly blurry. Still, Luffy wouldn't go down. He was determined. Exhausted, but still determined.

"Face it, you won't survive this unless you beat your own useless friends. But even if you did so, all I have to do is taking control of your weak body and make you jump into the ocean." the blond-haired man chuckled.

"You see, there's no way to beat me, I'm a Shichibukai! I wonder what I should do with you? Handing you over to the marines or continue to have my fun with you?" Doflamingo bent his index finger a little and immediately Sanji's body moved.

Luffy watched this and gulped. Much to his horror, Luffy felt his body not reacting the way he wanted it to, as he got slower the more he moved. Sanji's strong legs were clearly aiming at his flesh wounds caused by Ace but most of them were missing due to Luffy's fine reflexes.

"Don't ignore me. That's rude." Ace voiced from behind of Luffy and he shot with his fire bullets again. Apparently, that was Doflamingo's favourite fire attack. Luffy figured, due to Doflamingo's insane character, that the Shichibukai loved the irony of a rubber man being hurt by _bullets_.

Luffy jumped into the air to dodge them, a huge mistake. Because Chopper was already there, ready to harm Luffy. The black-haired teen gasped, realizing his mistake, but it was already too late.

Suddenly, hands grabbed him, wrapping tightly around his stomach and sides. Sanji's hands gripped carelessly into Luffy's wounds, making him scream in agony.

Chopper grinned, making Luffy's heart squeeze painfully at that sight, before he was engulfed in nothing but more unbearable pain. Luffy hadn't been able to move due to Sanji's strong grip and it all had happened too damn fast. Chopper's antlers pierced the strawhat boy, causing him to vomit blood. Luffy's eyes rolled back.

Then Ace jumped into the air as well to punish his little brother, unable to stop Doflamingo from doing this to his body.

"And now the final blow, the end of Mugiwara no Luffy!" Doflamingo said mechanically as if he was making a comment on a game of football. The Shichibukai and ex-pirate couldn't hide his wide smirk. Those rookies from todaywere just too easy to beat, it had almost been boring to play with them.

Ace neared the cold out Luffy with a dangerous speed, his fingers forming a glowing cross that would burn his brother's heart. However, a few centimeters away from Luffy's chest, the boy surprisingly opened his eyes and with a sudden but strong move, he rolled out of Sanji's grip and landed onto deck.

"Wha-" Doflamingo was, for the first time in his life, truly taken aback. He could have sworn the brat had been completely unconscious the minute before...! Now this had come unexpected.. the strawhat pirate really never failed to surprise him. "Fufufufu. "

Suddenly, Luffy's eyes widened and he blinked at his brother, Ace, gasping. "..Eh..?" Luffy murmured, grabbing his head. "What's that...? There was a beautiful voice... " He knew it oh so well.

Again, Doflamingo found himself totally speechless. Surprise number two, and that just in one day? Wow, today was a day full of unexpected twists and turns!

"_... Luffy? Luffy can you hear us?_"

"_I do... Ace, is that you? And Sanji and Chopper! Guys! What are ya doing in my head?_"

"_That doesn't matter now, Luffy. Now you have to listen closely! What are you playing around? Ya gotta beat us up finally, you now that aren't the real us fighting you! Just beat us up and kick his ass, you are strong enough to do that!_"

"_B-but Ace... I just can't beat up my own nakama! You gotta understand!_"

"_Luffy! We are practically trapped in his fangs, unable to act on our own. We're actually wide awake, forced to witness our own terrible actions. We're puppets who have to do whatever Doflamingo wants us to do! Do you understand?_"

"_He is fully in possession of or bodies, do you know what that means? He is not only going to kill you with us, but also will murder us afterwards, too! So don't be so stubborn and narrow-minded not to fight us 'cause you're afraid of us getting hurt! That is just silly, you need to see that! For the sake of the king of pirates, don't be so damn selfish!_"

"_...Ace..._"

"_Did you forget about all of our hard training? Both you and me have learned how to use and control our Haoshoku Haki, remember? Now listen, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. Yours is far stronger than mine, so if there's someone who could beat that frigging Doflamingo, then it's you! So get up on your ass and beat him! Use your Haoshoku, use it! Knock us out!_"

"_D-demo...! But... I can't, I just can't... If I see your faces, then there is something inside me that stops me from attacking. It can't be helped! I just can't.._."

"_Silly. Didn't you swear you would protect them? Didn't you say that? What about that promise? Doesn't it mean anything to you anymore? Just do it, knock us out. Because it is not us you knock out, it's not our will you crush! It's Doflamingo's. He is pretty weak against your true strenght and dammit Luffy, you know that very well._"

"… _Ace, I-_"

"_You wanna save your nakama? Now's the chance. Give the bastard a piece of your mind and kick his ass for me, bro!_"

"That's right!" Luffy said, obviously talking to himself. His nakama didn't move their mouths, only stared at the teen. Luffy however felt something inside him. There was a fire starting to burn, due to his brother's speech. His determination just was born again.

_Thanks Ace._

Luffy smiled to himself. Yeah, just sometimes he needed a little push... good thing Ace was there to remind him of the important things he always seemed to forget.

Doflamingo was left in wonder whether the pirate teen was alright or if he'd gone insane after taking that hit from the reindeer. Heh, maybe Mugiwara was too overstrained with the exhausting events?

"What's the matter, boy? Talking to yourself in your hopeless situation?" Sneering at Luffy, Doflamingo picked his nose.

"I can hear them." Luffy answered, face getting serious again.

"Hah?" Doflamingo intelligently answered, scratching his cheek in a bored way. Apparently, Mugiwara's nakama shouldn't have aimed for his head so often.

"I can hear the voices. The voices of this world." Luffy repeated.

"The voices of this world? What the fuck?"

Suddenly everything happened very fast. Luffy's aura changed drastically. Doflamingo felt something he'd hardly ever felt in his life before. The feeling only grew as Luffy suddenly released a weird power, stronger than any hit Doflamingo ever had recieved. The pirate's expression was so deadly serious and his eyes... they seemed to have changed in a way Doflamingo could not describe.

"Move it, you three idiots, kill him finally!" Doflamingo ordered out loud, barking at Luffy's nakama in his sudden adrenaline push. Was he sweating? Damn it!

The nakama however, didn't make a move and Luffy only needed to narrow his eyes a bit and a storm like, invisible blow knocked Sanji, Chopper and even Ace out completely. They were unconscious before they hit the deck.

Doflamingo was no idiot, he knew Luffy was capable of using a powerful haki. But still... it freaked him out how strong that Haoshoku Haki was. He flinched slightly as Luffy took another step closer to him. The usually fearless Shichibukai felt the situation get out of his control.

Then his trademark grin appeared again. He wouldn't let himself being beaten that easily. Not by a simple rookie who happened to have the shitty Haoshoku. Okay, he may not have a strong haki like that but still he shouldn't be underestimated. He was Donquixote Doflamingo after all! Everyone feared him! … Everyone, except Luffy.

"You damn fool... for a moment I thought you were really creepy, but then what can you do? You are hurt badly! Look at yourself, you even beat your own nakama, how pathetic!"

That however didn't stop Luffy. Not at all. Doflamingo realized Luffy was deadly serious and stood up, that silly grin of him never leaving his face.

"You are tougher than I thought, mugiwara." the Shichibukai said, raising his fingers as he began to move them in an odd way. "I will just have to control your body." he added, more to himself since Luffy didn't give a damn about what the man was saying.

Just like he'd said earlier, Doflamingo was planning on throwing Luffy into the ocean. Why should he make his hands dirty if he could just watch him drown? It would be the easiest way for him.

But Luffy didn't do as he ordered. Doflamingo grit his teeth, today was not his day! He couldn't... he wouldn't... there was no way the shitty mugiwara brat defeated him, right? But no matter how hard Doflamingo concentrated, his abilities didn't manage to break through the invisible barrier called haki. Luffy couldn't hide his grin, Ace was right. His haki was like a huge, hard wall no Akuma no mi could break through, not even Doflamingo with his frightening power.

Luffy came nearer, taking dangerously slow steps towards him.

"You damned, good-for-nothing-!" the no longer grinning Shichibukai began.

Luffy cut him off mercilessly as he did something he should've done way earlier. The teen made a fast movement and jumped forwards, smashing his fist into Doflamigo's ugly face. The lilac sunglasses that had been sitting on his nose flew through the air, glass shattering into thousands of pieces.

With a loud _bam!_ Doflamingo landed on his face, but he quickly stood up again, spitting some blood onto the ground. Then his head snapped up and he grinned at Luffy, who flinched at what he saw. Woah, this guy surely was... weird! Luffy thought, gulping.

Doflamingo's iris were completely... black! There was no pupil to be seen, just a huge, round pitch black spot in his eyes. It looked somewhat creepy, Luffy had to admit. No wonder that guy was wearing sunglasses all the time!

"Don't you think it is that easy to beat a Shichibukai" Doflamingo warned, laughing insanely.

Luffy frowned, but didn't flinch at the unique, dirty laugh that would even made Zoro feel uneasy.

"You will have to suffer... for everything you've done!" Luffy growled. Somehow, Luffy didn't know what he was saying, words just seemed to float out of his mouth on their own. It was as if a foreign power had taken over, but it was not Doflamingo. It was his own anger.

Doflamingo widened his grin, showing his white teeth. He too, lifted his fists and clenched them tightly, knowing that he wouldn't come far with his devil fruit ability.

"Don't lift your head too high into the air, mugiwara! There's a weakness every devil fruit user has, even you! You can't win against me, simply because you lack experience!" Doflamingo spoke and threw his fluffy pink coat to the ground.

Luffy however couldn't be stopped by that now. There was nothing that would stop him now. All the anger that had built up inside him, all the disgust he held for this man, he needed to let it out.

He would show Doflamingo and Ace and everyone how strong he actually was! He was Monkey D. Luffy and he would never ever go down that easily! He would make sure to show the world what happened if it dared to lay a finger on his family!

With one last blood-curling battle cry, both Luffy and Doflamingo lifted their right fists and began a madly dash towards the other, ready to eliminate their opponent.

Doflamingo, being an arrogant fool, clung to the silly belief that he could beat the rookie, even though his own haki was very poor and not nearly as strong as the true one, the Haoshoku. The Shichibukai was blinded by his own pride, and that was the thing that would break his neck in the end.

Luffy's powerful amount of Haoshoku was sent out at once, like a huge, deadly shockwave. Doflamingo however didn't stop. Soon, they faced each other, only a few centimeters away from the other. The blond haired man gasped and felt his heart stop for a second.

Time seemed to slow down and the only thing Doflamingo could hear was his own swallow breath. Sweat made its way down his face, a huge knot in his stomach made him feel as if he was being suffocated. All his strength was gone in the blink of an eye... No, it felt different... was he drowning? In his last minute of consciousness he realized he'd never stood a chance against the horrible power of the Haoshoku of this boy...

Luffy's enormously strong fist crashed into Doflamingo's face for the second time. But this time, the blow was beyond compare. The Shichibukai didn't even get the chance to land a hit himself as pain overwhelmed his mind.

Within the part of a second he had lost consciousness and quite ironically flew from the deck into the near forest were he landed with a loud crash. A few birds complained and flew away, then silence.

"Uuuuugh... where am I?" Sanji groaned as he shakily got up, rubbing his throbbing head. "What... what the hell happened here? Oh shit!" Eyes widened as he saw all the blood splattered on the Sunny.

He looked around just in time to see Luffy standing beside his brother who was about to wake up as well.

"Luffy..! Are you alright? You did it!" Ace congratulated, slowly getting up to face his younger brother. Worry began to take over and Ace frowned upon the deep wounds of Luffy.

"Hey... you okay?" Ace asked, Luffy just nodded and grinned like a fool."I'm proud of you, Luffy."

Then, the strawhat boy's legs gave out and he fell into Ace's arms.

"Baka." Ace shook his head as he carefully laid his brother onto the deck."You're not alright at all! Look at your wounds! Crap... oh, hey Sanji! Try to wake Chopper, we need him here quickly! Dang Luffy, you troublemaker! You should've knocked us out earlier, you baka! You could've died easily!"

But Luffy only continued to grin like a little child on Christmas.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

**I'm not sure about Doflamingo's abilities. They still aren't officically confirmed in the manga, so I practically made up a few things about his abilities. I made him a stronger in this chapter, so that he not only can control his victims' movements but also their whole bodies, means they can't speak and do anything else if Doflamingo's controling them. I have no idea if he is able to do that in reality, but oh well^^ Oh yeah, I let him use haki as well, so that's why the attacks had such a big impact on Luffy. **

**Well, I wonder whether I got Doflamingo's character right. I hope he isn't too OOC! **

**In case if you wonder what it was all about with the voices and stuff, you will find out next chapter! It will be explained.**

**Thanks for reading and please review! They always encourage me a lot! :)**

**Next chapter coming up soon!**


	9. Bloody Tears

**Hello guys! Thanks a lot for reviewing!**

**crimeson-plasma****: Seriously? Wow that makes me so glad to hear! :D Aw thank you :3**

**SniperKingSogeking0341****: I'm happy you liked it! Lol that's right, Chopper's just better. :)**

**crazzyredhead:**** That's wonderful :D Well, I'm not entirely sure myself, but for now I don't plan on doing so.**

**Thanks for those kind reviews again! ;D Enjoy this chapter!**

**Special thanks to ****Silver Shadowbreeze**** for beta'ing this story!**

**Disclaimer: Sanji likes cheese, I don't own One Piece. (lol I thought I'd give it a try to rhyme x3)**

**YXYXYXYXYXY**

**Chapter 9 – Bloody Tears**

"Dang it," Ace cursed, not like his usual self who would always try to be as polite as possible.

He and Sanji were standing in front of the infirmary, waiting for Chopper to come out and inform them about Luffy's current condition. This was an all too familiar position for Sanji. How many times had he and the rest of the crew, excluding Chopper who was with Luffy, been standing in front of that damned door without being able to do anything but wait?

Countless times.

Luffy was actually the one of the crew who would always manage to get himself in trouble and almost _always_ ended up hurt in the end.

Heck, Sanji could tell plenty of stories where the strawhat boy had dragged himself into a huge mess again. It was not that Luffy was too weak to beat his opponents but rather that he was just too damn innocent and naive. And oh boy, could Luffy be _clumsy_ sometimes!

Seriously, if you watched that guy fighting in his not-so-prissy-way, you would never think he would get hurt while trying to pick _apples_ from a _tree_. What did he do to receive his injuries? Well, as he was sitting on a thin branch one day, a strange kind of bird suddenly jumped from a nest above him.

Mentioned bird thought of Luffy as a potential enemy, and that's why the poor thing - encouraged by its protective instinct - went berserk and attacked Luffy. Of course the strawhat boy, being stubborn and immature, didn't just leave the tree - quite the opposite. He seriously tried to fight back, falling down into the nearby lake where he hit his head... it had been a day full of 'adventures,' as he'd put it, for him.

So you see, the strawhat boy could easily get some injuries – that was nothing for Monkey D. Luffy!

It sometimes left Sanji wondering if the boy got hurt on purpose. But then, that was a ridiculous thought. The cook knew his captain wouldn't even dare think of something like intentionally worrying his nakama.

However, not too long ago, the cook and Ace just had finished cleaning the whole deck – which had been harder than he thought – and Sanji was glad to be done with that. If the chef was honest, it had been a painful thing to do. Not physically though, it was just every time he had to brush one of those awful blood splatters away, a picture of him, Ace and Chopper hurting Luffy flashed up before his inner eyes.

Sanji bit his lip to hold in a curse. The cook wished he could get a hold of that bastard Doflamingo to give him a good piece of his mind himself! Then again, he really didn't want to see that ugly pink-feathered mug again; the day was just fine the way it was. Luffy had taken care of the arrogant sod so Sanji should be satisfied with that.

It had been a hard, exhausting day and in less than one hour, the sun would be setting. The unbearable silence was finally broken by Sanji.

"How come you were able to communicate with Luffy? Is that 'cause you're brothers?" he asked without thinking.

Ace hesitated for a few seconds, then he chuckled tiredly. "Well, not really. Have you ever heard of 'Kenbunshoku Haki'?" he asked back.

"Eh?"

That was enough of an answer Ace needed, and immediately he began explaining. "Haki is a special kind of power that lies in everyone. Depending on that person's will and spirit, his _ambition_, one could awaken his inner haki and develop it further. Well, there are three kinds of haki to differentiate. The Busoshoku, the Kenbunshoku and the Haoshoku." Ace waited a bit to make sure the new information sank in, then he continued.

"Luffy and I were training our haki on that island after the war. Back then, when Luffy was fighting Doflamingo, we used our Kenbunshoku Haki to communicate. It allows the user, among other things, to hear voices. I still can't figure out exactly what that means, but through that Luffy was able to hear my voice. I'm amazed at how good he's become at using Haki," Ace grinned.

"Seriously?" Sanji gaped. "Whoa. I didn't even know there was something like that!"

"Amazing, huh?"

"Indeed..."Sanji was clearly stunned by that fact. Still, there were many unanswered questions left. "Luffy mentioned something about 'hearing the voices of the world,'" Sanji said, remembering too well what his captain had said to Doflamingo back then. After all, Sanji and the others had been able to hear every spoken word, despite the fact they were being controlled.

This time, Ace couldn't answer that quickly and Sanji took a long drag of his cigarette. Finally, Ace looked up from his spot where he'd been focusing on while thinking. "Um, I have to admit that I don't know what he meant by that..."

Okay, that was unexpected. Sanji could've sworn Ace knew everything about Luffy, but it appeared that even his own brother didn't have any idea what was going on in the head of Monkey D. Luffy.

"We should ask him later, ne?" Ace suggested and Sanji merely nodded. On one hand, the cook wanted to keep asking questions about this 'Haki.' On the other hand, he didn't feel like talking anymore. Sanji sighed, unable to stand in front of the infirmary any longer. He turned to Ace.

"Sorry, I just need to distract myself a bit," he truthfully admitted to the other man. "I guess I'll go and prepare the dinner."

Ace smiled and nodded in return, understanding the cook's feelings quite well. Ace himself didn't look very well with those dark circles under his eyes and the pale skin in his face.

Sanji blinked as he admitted why he wanted to flee into his kitchen. Why had he been so honest with Ace without being embarrassed?

Maybe it was because usually, it had been his nakama and him standing in front of that door, sometimes even only him and Zoro. It was no secret that Sanji would never admit something like his concern for the rubber boy in front of that Marimo! It only meant he would show weakness in front of the swordsman. That would be terrible!

Sanji bit hard into his cigarette. Sometimes Sanji wished that he _could_ admit something like his concern for _all_ of his nakama in front of Zoro. The cook gulped, sad eyes cast to the ground.

The cook then made his way into the kitchen which seemed, in his opinion, just way too quiet. Normally the rest of the crew, including a very _lively_ captain, would already be sitting at the table, enjoying his meal. Sanji sighed. Yeah, normally. But he had to face it, those times were over, as much as it hurt. There was just no way to change what lay in the past.

Sanji then automatically grabbed a few pots and food. Quickly, he began to prepare the dinner, desperately focusing on cooking and not on the memories.

Later, Ace and Chopper came in and Sanji inhaled sharply upon the sight of the two. Inwardly, Sanji wondered if he himself looked that exhausted. After a day like that, probably. Chopper chewed on his bottom lip, not daring to say a word as he and Ace sat down.

Sanji knew how Chopper felt. They had fought their own nakama, and- even if Luffy didn't like to be called one anymore- their own captain. The cook didn't even want to imagine how terrible Ace must feel. However, the fire user was the one who hid his feelings best out of them. If there was something Ace was good in, besides being an excellent fighter, then it was to beam with calmness.

During the unusually quiet dinner, Chopper timidly told them about Luffy's condition. He would be fine, the little doctor said, even though he was injured badly this time. But, Chopper added, Luffy would probably be running around by tomorrow again. And as Ace murmured something about 'Luffy always finding a way to make him worry so much', Sanji got the weird feeling of déjà vu.

The meal was finished in silence and an almost depressed atmosphere lasted in the kitchen during it. How weird and unfamiliar it was without Luffy. It only reminded the three of how much they needed him.

Sanji then was left alone in his territory. Of course, Ace and Chopper had offered their help to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen, but the cook refused, telling them it was his job and he would be okay alone. Chopper didn't press much on it and he went back to check on the fast asleep Luffy.

Ace had sensed the cook's mood and asked again if he could do anything, which actually brought a smile to Sanji's face. Ace was a nice company, he had to admit. He was so calm and polite. But at the moment Sanji just wanted to be on his own. He needed to get his feelings and mixed emotions under control. The cook certainly didn't want to show Ace his depressed side. Then Chopper would be informed and the two _plus_ Luffy (after he'd woken up) would make a huge fuss about it. Sanji just didn't want all the attention on him.

Soon, Ace had left too and went straight to the infirmary.

The blond-haired man sighed in relief. _Finally_, he thought. Another, sadder sigh left his lips. It had made him unbelievable happy to not only see Chopper but Luffy alive as well. Still, he could not fully block out the tremendous sadness he felt after losing _six_ people he'd become so attached to. They all had been so close, even closer as a family.

No one outside the Strawhat crew could ever understand the strong bonds between each of them, connected to each other like a spider web.

"What am I thinking? Now is not the time to be getting all depressed, now is it?" Sanji said to himself, adding a forced chuckle at the end.

The young man knew Luffy had to deal with much greater pain mentally. Luffy, as the captain, had not only watched all of them getting murdered, but also suffered an immense deal with breaking into Impel Down, then out again, only to get saved by Ace and see his grandfather die in front of him.

That caused Sanji to feel somehow pathetic. How could he feel sad and gloomy and all while their captain had gone through something like that?

All of sudden, something inside Sanji exploded and he took his cigarette, threw it onto the floor and began to angrily stomp on it.

"Damn it, damn it, _goddammit_!" Sanji didn't even notice the hot, salty liquid running down his cheeks. Consequently he made no attempt to hide or wipe them away.

It all just had become too much for him to handle at once. How could he let most of his friends get killed? How could he not have noticed Luffy still being alive and needing his help while being in war? Just... how come he hadn't been strong enough to keep himself from being controlled by that... that... _guy_? Thousands of questions began to dart at him mercilessly.

Not realizing there had been so many things that he'd kept bottled up, the effect just hit Sanji harder.

"Why's it that life's so damn unfair?" he growled between clenched teeth, not giving a damn that he sounded like a little kid. "There always has to be something negative, right? Ups and _downs _in life, ha!" Sanji tried to snicker but it came out as a pathetic whimper.

He felt bad, so bad right now... The cook had no idea how long he'd been standing in front of the oven like that, a few minutes, maybe hours, but his mood didn't change for the better.

Those negative feelings such as sadness, regret, anger, felt like huge, heavy weights that threatened to drag him underwater. Sanji closed his eyes, being pulled into the depths of endless misery...

"Sanji?"

Then, a small yet strong hand broke through the dark surface and reached out to him. It almost seemed as if it would be... stretching? He knew the owner of that hand, right? Sanji blinked through his tears, for a few seconds he couldn't get oxygen into his lungs.

Then it hit him. Of course he knew whose hand this was. The friendly expression, the huge, curious eyes, the warm smile...

"L-Luffy?"

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

"Luffy!" Ace blinked. He was on deck, looking for his little brother when he eventually spotted him standing at the railing. Apparently, Luffy wasn't aware of his brother's presence and kept absent-mindedly staring out at the vast sea.

There was no sun, no cloud, no blue sky. The weird thing was that the sky wasn't even white or grey, it was more... black? Ace didn't continue to think about it further as he stepped closer to Luffy.

Something was off, Ace was sure. But what? And where were the others?

The freckled young man called Luffy's name again. No reaction. That caused Ace to frown. He gently placed a hand on the younger one's shoulder. That soft touch didn't go unnoticed by Luffy as he slowly turned around to face his nii-chan.

This was when Ace thought his heart would stop. It was not the fact that Luffy motionlessly stared into his eyes with such an intense look it would make a stone break.

Luffy was crying. Ace's eyes slightly widened and he automatically lifted his hand to touch those tears. An ice-cold shudder made its way down Ace's spine. Those tears... they were...! As the older one looked at his fingertips, he gasped. They were dark crimson.

Luffy was crying bloody tears.

"O-oh my God..." Ace managed to stutter, unconsciously taking a step back. This came totally unexpected. What did that mean?

Luffy suddenly glared at him and Ace realized this was not his brother. The angry aura the seventeen-year-old gave off... the way he glared daggers at Ace... it was giving him the creeps. He was _scared_ of his younger brother.

The older of the two fell onto his butt, crawling backwards. He could feel how his hands began to shiver uncontrollably. It may have sounded ridiculous, but at that moment Luffy looked like an angel of death!

As much as the fire user wanted to say something, somehow he was at a loss of words. His body reacted by instinct, no longer obeying his orders.

Luffy began to step closer. Ace felt his blood freeze as his back touched the railing. That was _bad_. Ace couldn't escape, he felt so _weak_ all of sudden. He didn't even have the strength to stand up.

Those horrible dark red tears kept on streaming down Luffy's pale face. There was absolutely nothing left of that usual innocent expression.

Luffy now stood directly over him, his expression clearly emphasizing his fury. But why? What had Ace done to the boy? Thousands of questions and no answers.

Suddenly, he could hear a voice. Luffy's mouth moved, but it sounded not like Ace's brother speaking. The voice was tired, as if Luffy was broken.

"Why...? Ace, why did you have to do that...?" Luffy asked, barely audible. Ace couldn't say anything, his throat felt too dry. If only he could say something! _What, Luffy? What did I do? I'm_ _sorry! _But he couldn't.

Ace bit his lip. He couldn't fight back. Slowly, the strawhat teen reached out with his thin arm. As his hand was only inches away from Ace, one thought crossed his mind.

_Is this the end?_

_-Y-X-Y-_

Ace gasped in his sleep, twisting and turning around as if he was dodging some invisible attacks.

Chopper, who happened to lie beside him on Luffy's bed in the infirmary, kept on snoring and didn't notice Ace having a nightmare.

It was a pitch black night, not even the moon was to be seen as huge clouds blocked the moonlight away. The black clouds covering the sky made the night even colder.

**YXYXYXYXYYX**

Sanji gulped back his tears. Suddenly he felt determined… determined not to be dragged into a pit of darkness. He collected all of his strength and took the hand that was offered to him.

"Y-yeah?" Sanji mumbled.

"Come over here. Sit a bit with me, 'kay?"

"Um, no thanks. It's okay..." Sanji began, but Luffy interrupted unusual firmly.

"There's nothing you need to be ashamed of."

With one strong movement, Sanji was pulled upwards and his head reached the surface. Oxygen filled his lungs and he gasped for air, feeling lightheaded.

"What is it?" The cook asked as he tried to hide his face away from the other. As he was told, the nineteen-year-old went over to the table where Luffy sat at.

"Sit down," Luffy said in the gentlest way he could manage. Sanji sat down opposite to the other, trying to light a cigarette in the progress. His hands trembled and he failed, throwing the cancer stick away carelessly.

Luffy's cheek rested in his left hand, the other laying on the table. The cook didn't dare to look the other into the face. A few seconds passed and Sanji wondered if Luffy had fallen asleep.

"Sanji," Luffy caused the blond haired man to flinch as the silence was broken, "If there's something to talk about, then don't hide away in your kitchen. Talk to us."

Sanji nervously fiddled with his black tie, still avoiding eye contact. The blonde had no idea why it was so hard for him to talk to the other. The person opposite to him was _Luffy_ for God's sake! So why was it that of a big deal to admit he felt sad?

Sanji first thought if he didn't respond, then Luffy would eventually get bored and leave of his own. Apparently, he was wrong. Sanji learned Luffy could be so merciless sometimes- and damn stubborn too! If the teen wanted something, then he would get it no matter what.

With that tense, silence the strawhat boy practically forced the words out of Sanji and the cook couldn't help but begin to sweat. "I... um... I'm sorry."

Luffy's eyes narrowed. "Look me in the eyes, Sanji." That kind of voice was so foreign, it didn't fit to Luffy. It sounded so _bossy_.

Slowly, Sanji lifted his head and took in the sight before him. He gulped. Luffy was covered in bandages. The boy was wearing his usual clothes, even though you could still see the white bandages around his upper body. A few band-aids were to be seen on the younger one's face, some scratches and bruises here and there.

Despite the teen's strong-sounding voice, Luffy looked utterly exhausted. Dark bangs under his eyes and pale skin were only small proofs of the fight earlier.

Sanji wanted to look away again, but Luffy spoke up. "Don't look away. Look me in the eye." He repeated and the cook's glance travelled back to his nakama.

"I'm... sorry. For that." Sanji merely said and tried to look as calm as possible.

Luffy's stern look made the blonde feel insecure. Why was Luffy looking like that? Was he angry because Sanji fought him?

Then, the thin line in Luffy's face began to stretch from the one ear to the other. "Nope! " he exclaimed happily as if he'd just read Sanji's thoughts.

"What?" Sanji blurted out, blinking. "Can you read my mind or something?"

The black-haired boy shook his head. "I just guessed you would think that. You don't have to apologize, that bastard was controlling you after all. And I made him pay for that! Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, then he stopped. "You baka." he added, still smiling.

" ..." Having no idea what to say to that, Sanji decided to stay silent. Then he got an idea. "Shouldn't you be in bed or something? Chopper would be furious if he noticed you're not in bed." Ha, with that he would get rid of Luffy!

Luffy grinned. "Don't think so, he and Ace are fast asleep!"

Damn! Suddenly, a question popped up in Sanji's mind. "Say, during the fight with that Doflamingo jerk you mentioned something about 'voices of this world'. What did you mean by that?"

Was it just Sanji or did he always ask Luffy such questions? Sometimes, things or special situations just seemed to repeat; wasn't that odd? But then, that's life, right?

Sanji shook his head, pushing that thought to the edge of his mind. He could wonder about that later, couldn't he?

Luffy watched Sanji for a moment and the cook was unable to read the other's expression.

Then, Luffy cocked his head to the side curiously. "I said something like that?"

"Sure did. Don't deny it, rubber baka." Sanji said out of reflex, almost back to his old self.

Luffy raised his brows. "Oh." he simply stated, not making any attempts to explain himself. That annoyed Sanji a bit, he had to admit, and he rolled his eyes.

"You know well what I know!"

"Hmmm... no." Luffy responded, blinking innocently. Now his chin rested on both of his hands. That way it only looked as if he wanted to tease Sanji.

The cook got the hint and soon a vein popped up on his forehead. "Shitty rubber! Why don't you just answer a simple question properly?"

"Um... sorry. What did you want to know again?" Luffy's big, brown eyes glanced on Sanji.

The cooks' eyes however twitched in anger. Was that brat trying to fool him?

"Damn it, what are you trying to do?" Sanji finally snapped impatiently, jumping up. Out of old habit, the cook pulled a new cigarette out of his pocket. Immediately, he lit it, taking a long drag to calm himself.

Luffy smiled up to him, then suddenly he burst into a laughing fit, leaving Sanji dumbfounded.

"Wha?" Sanji wondered aloud. Honestly, sometimes he just didn't get Luffy. Then he hit his fist onto the table to make him shut up, which worked. "Was that all just a prank to laugh your ass off? Veeeery funny, you shit for brains!"

However, Luffy's good mood couldn't be ruined that quickly. Instead, Luffy showed Sanji his trademark grin. "Now we can talk!"

Again, Sanji was left with a huge question mark floating above his head. "What do you mean by that?"

"Now Sanji's his old self again!" Luffy stated happily. And realization hit Sanji with full force.

"I get the picture now," the curly-brow cook murmured to himself as he sat back down. "Stupid rubber brat," he added, not really meaning it. Now there was a fond smile present on his face. Luffy had only done that to distract Sanji and to get him out of that emo-like position. Well, that just proved Luffy wasn't half as dumb as some people believe him to be. Sanji was glad to have someone like Luffy as his captain.

"Do you want a hot chocolate?" Sanji asked, his personal thanks to the boy. Instantly, Luffy's eyes lit up and he cheered. "Yay!" That was enough for Sanji to hear, and soon he handed a hot cup to the younger one.

"Care to explain this 'voices of the world' stuff to me now?" The cook asked patiently.

"Yummy!" Luffy first said as he took a sip of his hot chocolate. Then he looked at Sanji. "What's the big deal with that?"

"Dunno. Just curious."

"Well, to be honest I don't exactly know what I meant by that, either!" Luffy said.

"Seriously?" So Luffy had been tantalizing him up until now, and all he says is, "I don't know either?" Sanji couldn't believe it! Surely Luffy hadn't done that intentionally.

…Maybe he had overestimated the rubber boy after all.

"Yeah, um... I just said those stuff. I don't know why." Luffy repeated, then he looked as if his mind was far gone, surprising Sanji a bit. Luffy's eyes glanced behind the cook, far away.

"Eh? Luffy?" Sanji frowned.

"I could just... hear them..." Luffy spoke, recalling the scene as it played again before his inner eye."I heard different voices... yours, Aces, Choppers... and others."

Sanji raised his visible, curly brow. "Of whom?"

"...I don't know."

"Then... what did they say?" Sanji pressed.

Then, Luffy looked straight at him again, completely serious. "I don't know."

Sanji could tell this time Luffy was being honest. "That's weird..." Then he remembered something. Something Rayleigh had told Robin not too long ago.

"_Rayleigh-san, how was Gol D. Roger able to use that writing?" Robin asked. _

"…_Roger wasn't able to do that. But he had the power to hear the 'voice of all things'." Rayleigh responded calmly. _

Sanji gasped. Could it be...? He looked at Luffy, eye narrowing. It was kind of creepy... but sometimes, Sanji had to admit, sometimes Luffy acted just like a king.

Sometimes Luffy's behavior was frighteningly similar to Gol D. Rogers'... from what Sanji had heard about that guy at least.

Was that a good or a bad thing? Sanji couldn't tell. He just knew that there was another mystery now that would have to wait to be solved.

"Voices of the world... interesting." The cook murmured to himself.

Later that night, the two of them were still sitting in the kitchen. Both of them were deadly tired and it was obvious they needed sleep, but somehow none of them wanted to stop chatting. It was really nice. They talked about this and that, everything and nothing. Ten minutes later they were talking about how their swordsman always used to get lost A LOT, laughing at their misadventures.

Most of the time they talked about their nakama, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Franky, Robin, Brook. Sometimes, the subjects were really sad and one comforted the other or vice versa. They laughed together, they cried together and were just spending their time with each other. It was painful but it did them good. None of the two were planning on forgetting about their nakama.

Sanji was more than grateful that Luffy actually came into his kitchen to talk to him… just as if the rubber teen had sensed the cook was down and needed someone to talk to.

That was great and Sanji regretted he wanted to hide in his kitchen at first. This was so much better. And just as Luffy had said, there was nothing Sanji had to be ashamed of. It would be silly to think something like that.

They were nakama, they didn't keep secrets from each other. That was what it meant to have a family, and both Sanji and Luffy were happy not to have lost all of it.

"Tomorrow we should add two more people to our chatting round, don't you think so?" Sanji suddenly suggested. It was four o'clock in the morning, he was tired as hell, but still he refused to let his eyelids drop. Luffy really had cheered him up.

Luffy grinned. It was obvious the cook was talking about Ace and Chopper. "Of course! That will be fun!"

The cook smiled back. "I think so too."

**YXYXYYXYXYX**

**A chapter full of mysteries! Thanks for reading :)**

**Review please!**


	10. Death never is easy to overcome

**Gaaah, I'm sorry I haven't updated in like forever! I feel really bad for letting you wait so long …! But actually, there's a reason for it, or rather two: First my beta was on a trip and then not only my laptop broke, but my parent's computer as well O.O and to make it perfect: I've already written a part of this chapter but it got deleted -.- Seriously sometimes I think the stupid technology's trying to boycott me or something… ANYWAYS! My parent's computer seems to work now –phew- and I hope it doesn't shut itself off again -.- Ok, enough of my rambling now~**

**Thanks to you people for reviewing~ That means a lot to me! :D**

**SniperKingSogeking0341: Yeah :D Fits him much better than the Emo- attitude ;) Yosh~ Thanks, I will :D**

**Llaelien: Mysterious indeed. Aw thanks! :) I'm so glad you think so, because that's just what I tried to write him like =) Hm maybe? I won't tell (I'm so mean I know) but it will be all solved in the end ;) I'm sorry to tell you, but the others won't appear.. only the three survived. It's sad but that's the way crazzyredhead and me planned it so… ehm, anyways, it's just a story and that will never happen in real One Piece ne? =) Makes me happy to hear that, thank you very much~ :D Oh and don't worry, your English isn't bad. Beside, it isn't my mother tongue either and without my beta reader this story would be full of mistakes *laughs* so don't worry about that! ;D**

**crazzyredhead: Aaw, it's good if you liked it! :D Yay that's great! Here you go, hope you'll like this one too :)**

**crimeson-plasma: Glad you think so! Well, Luffy's really good at that, isn't he? ;3 Sure :)**

**Thanks many times to you all for leaving those amazing reviews, it makes me so happy to see people read and enjoy my story~ :D**

**Special thanks to Silver Shadowbreeze for beta'ing!**

**Pls enjoy reading, all you kind people :3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece~ It all belongs to Oda-sensei**

**YXYXYXYXYXYX**

Chapter 10 – Death never is easy to overcome

A few days passed since that evening. Luffy was recovering nicely- being the fast healer he was – as Sanji healed mentally. The cook seemed to smile more often and, all above, his laughs didn't sound forced anymore and were nothing but the result of true happiness.

It made Luffy more than proud to see his nakama coming along nicely. That positive energy seemed to lift the mood on the Thousand Sunny a lot. Even Chopper was more cheerful than usual. It had been anything but easy for the little doctor those past months, too.

No one doubted the youngest member had had a pretty damn hard past; and what happened at Sabaody Archipelago must have been hell for him. Consequently it made everyone, including Ace, smile genuinely upon Chopper's true happiness.

The mentioned man had been oddly silent those past days, but either no one seemed to care or they just shrugged it off. They figured Ace just needed some time on his own; Luffy first had been concerned and wanted to talk to his brother, but in the end he was sure that if Ace wanted to talk, then he would. So the only thing Luffy could do was sit and wait patiently. Of course, little did the poor strawhat teen know but it was all him who was to blame for Ace's silence... or rather the nightmare Ace had.

The Logia user was anything but happy. Sure, it was great how things went and all but this dream… this _nightmare_ made Ace feel uncomfortable. Not that he was scared of his brother or anything; it was just that he couldn't face Luffy anymore without seeing those horrible images of a deathly pale Luffy crying bloody tears. What was it all about?

Ace rubbed his temples, leaning back against the railing with closed eyes.

_It was a dream, Ace. Just some sort of meaningless, goddamn, friggin'…_ he made a noise of discomfort and stood up abruptly, turning around to glance into the dark blue waters below.

Yeah, it really had been just a dream… Ace was fully aware of that. But why did his mind still seem ill at ease? Something was there, something that didn't stop bothering him constantly; like a small quiet voice in the back of his head that whispered something important about what was going to happen. It wanted to warn him about something… But Ace just couldn't understand what it said.

Sure, he could just ask Luffy if there was something bothering him. But then, a lot of bad stuff happened to the boy so of course there was something bothering him, and obviously he still had a slightly hard time dealing with that. Everyone had- of course no one could it just shrug the huge loss off.

But the reason why Ace had kept his creepy dream a secret that long was simple yet understandable. Ace just didn't want to make Luffy worry about stupid stuff like that. The rubber boy had enough things to worry about and Ace feared it would only cause Luffy more stress to nag his brain about the nightmare and its meaning.

"Haaargh! Darn, this is getting on my nerves," Ace finally exclaimed, throwing his arms up. He was clearly in a bad mood.

Again, the twenty-one-year old man began to massage his forehead in slight distress. Maybe he was just thinking too much. Everybody had nightmares or weird dreams sometimes, right? It didn't mean anything, did it?

Suddenly, the young man snorted to himself. "Silly me, worrying 'bout some crap." he smiled half heartedly and decided to take a short nap since he was the only one on deck.

_The best thing to do now is to forget about it, right? Nothing bad is going to happen. I'm just exhausted from the last few days._ Ace was quite pleased with that thought, closing his eyes as he sat back down. Yawning tiredly, the man folded his hands behind his head, enjoying a peaceful moment.

If only Ace knew his _dream_ _did_ have some important meaning behind it. But then, it wouldn't change what was going to happen anyway, so maybe pushing it aside was for the best for now.

While falling asleep, Ace decided to push those thoughts aside and think of something else. He smiled as he thought of Luffy and his two crewmates; Ace could tell that it was his little brother who helped the cook overcome himself. If he thought about it, it was actually astonishing how things changed; Ace could clearly recall those past days and weeks when it had been only him and his traumatized brother on that island. Back then, it was him who needed to comfort Luffy. Now his little brother was taking over that role.

The three weren't aware of it, but Ace knew about all the nights when either Chopper or Sanji went over to Luffy just to talk to him about what was on their minds. And Luffy being Luffy, he didn't mind the sleep disturbance at all– and went to the deck to talk in peace with his nakama, just like yesterday.

_Ace woke up in the middle of the night and found both Chopper and Luffy gone. Sanji was snoring peacefully in his hammock. Getting to the deck, worried as he was, Ace spotted the two sitting at the Lion's head. Chopper was in Luffy's lap who had a fond smile on his face. The doctor obviously was crying. Both were whispering but still Ace could make out the words. _

"_I miss them."_

_Luffy patted the doctor's head, a sad expression on his face." I know." he answered quietly._

_Ace frowned, waiting. He knew it wasn't very polite to overhear them… after all, it was a private conversation between ex-captain and doctor. The two surely had their reasons why they chose to talk outside – they wanted to be on their own._ _Ace felt much like an intruder and bit his lip as he heard Chopper sobbing into Luffy's chest. _

"_Luffy… I miss them. I MISS them so much!" Chopper cried harder and Ace felt true sympathy for the little one._

"_Yeah… I miss them, too," Luffy said. Ace knitted his brows together. Was his brother at a loss of words?_

"_I …miss Zoro's sweaty and metallic smell in the mast room… I miss the smell of flowers and tangerines! I miss the smell of gunpowder around me, I even wanna smell the sweet cola again… and I miss the smell of all sorts of tea lingering in the air… aaah! I wanna see them again, see them laughing together with us!" Listening to Chopper's wailing nearly tore Luffy's heart apart. He listened to the doctors grief in silent understanding. Even Ace seemed down upon hearing that. It reminded him of his own crew._

"_I-I can't believe they are… d-dead…" Chopper continued, having some difficulties to say the word 'dead'. Luffy was going to say something, glancing absent-mindedly at the bright moon, but the reindeer spoke again._

_Chopper sobbed. "A-and I can't believe it h-had to end this w-way! Ahaa!" A hiccup followed. _

_Luffy nearly gasped due to what he heard and his eyes widened slightly. His gaze wandered down to his doctor and he gently lifted Chopper off his lap to put him on the figurehead. Luffy knelt down in front of him, looking like a mother talking to her little child. Gentle brown eyes glanced into hazel ones._

"_Chopper," Luffy began, "Listen. What happened then was, without a doubt, pure hell." _

_As Ace heard that, heard Luffy's strong yet immense sad sounding voice he couldn't believe how the teen managed not to burst into tears at that moment._

_To be able to speak about his dead crew, his own mistake, without crying or voice cracking… to speak about his failure, as Luffy would put it, was truly something. It took much more than just gulping down the lump in one's throat and forcing the words out. It meant true strength._

_Chopper's eyes slowly blinked, still tears began to roll down his fluffy cheeks._

"_I know it's hard, harder than anything, but we have to leave the past behind. And… please don't say this is the end because… it's not the end. It's just a new beginning. Do you see the difference? It may have been an awful experience… it may haunt us forever… but we have to be strong in order to live!_

_They may have taken our nakama, but they can never_ _take away our memories. We've had an amazing time together and no one can ever_ _break the lock to our biggest treasure." Luffy spoke, slowly and firmly._

_Ace had to bite his arm to reassure himself this was Luffy talking and not a dream. The way his silly brother talked… sounded like it was coming from someone old, someone wise._ _That truly stunned Ace. Chopper too seemed astonished by Luffy's words and could only nod with mouth agape. _

"_Even if we lose precious people, people we thought we couldn't go on without, we have to look forward. We have to learn from that." Luffy took a short pause, letting the words sink in. It wasn't easy to say it, but he had to be strong for his two remaining nakama. Then he took a deep breath and continued._

"_What happened nearly a year ago at Sabaody Archipelago… just showed us we couldn't continue that way. We needed to change something, and we did. Now look at us. Look how strong we've become. We're stronger than anyone; nothing can stop us. Especially if we trust each other. And we do, right? We're nakama, aren't we? We can surpass anything as long as we believe."_

_Chopper's hiccups had quieted down and now he was staring up at his captain in amazement. Chopper bit his lip, eyes darting to the ground. Now he felt ashamed to have cried. Luffy was so strong, how could he go on after that? The reindeer wanted to become just exactly like him!_

"_I-I get it, Luffy... but in what do we have to believe?" _

_Luffy grinned. "In yourself of course." _

_Ace froze. Believe in yourself? As in believe in what you are able to achieve? The young man looked down at his shaking hands, gulping._

_Chopper looked amazed, big eyes widening even more. And Luffy… Luffy laughed. "Believe in your skills and your own power." he added, a fond smile plastered to his face._

"_L-Luffy..." Chopper said, burying his face in Luffy's chest again. "Y-you're right! Waah! You're so right!"_

"_Woah..." Snapping his head back up, Ace could only shake his head. How come his little brother had suddenly grown up that much over night? He wouldn't have thought Luffy were able to speak like that... but then, Ace had always known his otouto was something else... something special. _

_Luffy just was like that. He could simply catch you in his spell, in that powerful aura that was constantly radiating off him in strong waves._ _No one could get away from it, and either people turned against him in fear or admired him in stunned amazement at what this mysterious boy was capable of accomplishing._

_People often asked:" Is it because he's a D?" or "Is it because the revolutionary Monkey D. Dragon is his father?" or even "Was he born with that?"_

_But Ace would only laugh at them. People always thought Luffy didn't have to exert himself for being confident or strong. What a silly thought._

_Maybe it was just the other way round. Maybe it was because he was Luffy_ _he was a D. But some people never thought that far._ _There are things in this world that cannot be inborn; sure, stuff as attitude or maybe even some interests can be given from father to son._ _But not everything. Some things you have to work hard for earning, such as your own personal psychical and physical energy._

_Luffy did. He managed to build up his own never ending confidence that almost nobody could break through; Luffy trained until he couldn't stand anymore for his immense strength, day and night. He always stood back up after the unfair thing called 'life' pushed him down mercilessly._

_To make it short and simple, Luffy himself had put pretty much every damn effort into things he believed in. But now, he believed in himself. That was why he managed to go on, even after he lost six nakama he'd held so dear._

_Maybe that was what made Luffy what he was now. Because even if he himself didn't know it, but with all the previous actions, the things he'd said and done, Luffy already was like a King._

_Ace nibbled on his bottom lip for a few minutes and listened how Luffy and Chopper began chatting about adventures from a long time ago. It was fun listening to what they have been through; they must have had a great time together. _

_Every now and then, the two of them even laughed, all of that previous sadness pushed aside to give enough space for the happiness that filled it all. _

_A pang of jealousy shot through Ace's heart and he frowned slightly. Then he shook his head and went back to the men's quarters. There's nothing he should be jealous of. What did he expect anyways? That Chopper would come to HIM and ask for comfort? Ace chuckled, laying back down in his hammock._

_Then something hit him. What if it wasn't like that… but rather because HE wanted to be the one sitting outside with a mourning Luffy in his lap? Maybe that's why Ace felt so… useless? Left out? _

_'Naaah', he chuckled again, this time a little louder. What a ridiculous thought. With that, he drifted off to sleep._

A pleased smile left Ace's lips as he thought back at yesterday's events. Luffy had really surprised him there. Then he opened his eyes and took a look at the beautiful blue sky.

Maybe Luffy shouldn't deny it; he still was the captain of Sanji and Chopper – even if he himself wasn't ready to be a _captain_ anymore.

It was sad if you looked at it that way, but there was no denial. It was just the truth and both Sanji and Chopper knew Luffy was the only man they would ever look up to as their captain. Mugiwara no Luffy would ever be their captain.

Watching a few seagulls, Ace ducked away, hoping they wouldn't drop _something_ upon his head. Then he laughed at his own silly actions, inhaling deeply the warm air around him.

Ace couldn't help but feel really proud of Luffy; he'd changed a lot – for the better. Luffy had become much more mature since that incident and Ace couldn't say if it was a good or a bad thing. On the other hand, as long as Ace was able to see his bro smiling all the other things didn't matter to him.

The fire fist laughed. Okay, he wouldn't appreciate it if Luffy would start polishing his nails or something like that. Shaking his head, he chuckled. No, Luffy's happiness was the most important thing, the rest was _almost_ meaningless. Ace would give his right leg to see his brother smiling!

The other three currently were in the kitchen and apparently had- due to the fact their laughter probably could be heard fifty miles away– a LOT of fun. Ace had no idea what they were doing but obviously they were busy. He didn't want to interfere if they were having a happy time so he just let them be, and decided to sit on deck… all on his own…

"Eh?" he blinked, sitting upright. "Oh! I guess I gotta tell the others then." he added, making an attempt to get up but the next second he lay sprawled on deck and… loud snores emitted his mouth.

"Hah? What was that noise? Ace?" Luffy opened the kitchen door, full of flour. Sanji and Chopper stuck their heads out of the door too. The doctor would make every albino reindeer jealous with all the white flour on him.

Luffy's laughter followed and in no time he was by Ace's side, slapping his shoulder playfully. "Ace, Ace, Ace!" he repeated, with no result as his brother didn't even move a muscle.

"Oh my God! What's with him? Should I check? Should I check?" Chopper began to slightly panic but Sanji stopped him.

"Oi oi, calm down, Chopper. He's narcoleptic, remember?" Sanji could recall those times very well when they had been travelling through Alabasta with Ace for a while. It first had been funny to watch Ace fall asleep during the most ridiculous moments, but later it had gotten a little annoying. But it wasn't as if the young man had done it on purpose, so who could become angry at him for that?

Chopper lifted his right hoof as his face brightened. "Ouuuh, that's true! I completely forgot!"

"Aceaceaceaceaceaceee~ wake u-" Luffy was still quite busy to wake his brother as something caught his attention. Something he found MUCH more important at that moment.

"Is that an island?" The teen beamed, appearing to completely forget about his poor brother.

Sanji 'tchd' at Luffy's action but turned around either way. "Oh, yeah."

"Woouh, a new island! Finally I can buy new bandages and some books!" Chopper obviously was happy about that too and smiled up to Luffy.

"Yosh! And maybe there's some kind of adventure that waits there for us!" Luffy jumped up and down. "I'm so excited!"

"Uhm Luffy, I don't want to interrupt your happy moment, but what about-" Sanji began as he lazily pointed at the out cold Ace.

Luffy stopped, blinking. "Oh, right." Then he turned to his brother. The next thing that happened came quite unexpected. Sanji thought Luffy would shake or poke his brother or maybe even kick him in the side but NOT that…

"HEY, ACE! YOUR GIRL- erm, BOYFRIEND'S HERE~!" Luffy yelled right into Ace's ear. Both Sanji and Chopper exchanged glances, looking slightly dumbfounded.

But they looked even more dumbfounded as they saw Luffy's 'waking technique' did really have an effect on the older…

Ace groggily opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to blink up at Luffy. "Whaddiss?" he slurred. Luffy laughed. Then something seemed to bite him because suddenly the twenty-one-year old jumped up and glared daggers at his brother, having a nice red face.

"Luffy! What the hell?" he barked, glaring at his younger sibling. Luffy had already excepted that and quickly dodged, laughing all the way.

"Hahaha! Ace, why are you blushing~?"

"Shaddap! Why are you screaming stuff like that in my ear? You wanna fight?"

"Only if you're fast enough to catch me, you… turtle!" Luffy giggled, proud of himself as he just thought of this perfect insult he could throw at his brothers' head.

"Did… did that really happen or was the apple I ate this morning already rotten?" Sanji asked quietly, a grotesque expression on his face. Chopper could only blink in wonder about the two D. brothers who raced around the deck.

Sanji lifted his brows and lit a new cigarette. "Ah, never mind. We should rather concentrate on that island, we're docking soon."

"Uh, right." Chopper agreed, still watching the somewhat hilarious scene.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

As they stepped on the isle, they realized it was rather small. Plus, it apparently was uninhabited. As far as they could see, there weren't any signs of human interference – the only proof that a human had ever stepped on this island was a small trail that led up to a small hill.

The wind blew through their hair and messed with it. Luffy frowned, then he turned to his crew mates. "What a boring island," he said, hinting that neither Sanji nor Chopper would be able to buy the stuff they wanted.

Sadly he dismissed Ace's odd silence. The oldest of the small group only stood and his eyes followed the small trail straight ahead. Something was off about this island... It wasn't the silence, and not the fact that there were hardly any plants around. It was something else. Ace couldn't put a finger on it.

"I, uh, I'll go that way if that's okay," Ace said with a forced smile. Why did he feel so nervous? Slightly irritated, the young man scratched his head.

Luffy blinked at him.

"Exploring." Ace said and Luffy smiled. "Oh, I see. Okay, we'll go 'round the island then and search for something to eat! Until later!" With that, they separated.

Ace dropped his fake smile and began to walk straight ahead.

There was a strange feeling at the bottom of his stomach that began to grow each step he took upwards that hill. Was there something? Something important he needed to see? Ace could hear the bumping of his heart getting louder and as he reached the tip of the hill, it nearly stopped.

"F-father?" he gasped, eyes wide.

**-Y-YX_XY-Y-**

"Didn't your brother seem a little off just now?" Sanji asked as they walked along the small beach. Chopper nodded.

"I thought so, too. I even smelled a little sweat."

Luffy frowned for a second, then he smiled carelessly. "Na, don't worry. Whatever it is won't knock him off his feet. He's strong."

Luffy was right; Ace was not weak or anything… he was far from that, but still what he discovered up there was a little too much for him to handle at once. After all, it came unexpected, like an invisible blow to his stomach.

But at the moment Luffy and his friends were completely unaware of that.

**-Y-YX_XY-Y-**

"P-pops… this is… Pops' grave!" Ace's breath hitched a little. He couldn't believe his own eyes. But when he looked back again, he was met with the cruel reality… not the fact that it was really his father's, Whitebeard's, grave but rather that the man he'd admired so much actually was dead.

Up until now, Ace's mind hadn't fully registered his beloved father's death. Yeah, he'd known about it, but he really hadn't thought about it. Just pushed it aside, just like a bad dream. He simply wanted to _forget_. Before he stepped up to that grave, Ace had done a wonderful job of _avoiding_ his pain. And that was what forced Ace onto his knees. Tears threatened to come out and he chocked, his forehead hitting the dirt beneath. Over and over again.

"D-damn IT! Damn it, damn it!" he repeated, sounding like he was breaking any moment.

"Why did it have to be him? Why did he die, darn it?" Ace let the tears splash down freely now, not bothering to hold them in any longer. He'd held them in for a damn long time. "This was HIS era, so why? Because of ME?"

Ace continued to cry, still believing it was him who killed his father. If he hadn't been the one to be executed, then no one would have come to save him and no one would've died that fateful day.

It all just had happened, and he hadn't even been aware of that until the day he woke and was informed by Law. It had been terrible to think about it… and when his little brother woke, his pain seemed so much greater compared to his. That's why Ace had acted all strong while helping Luffy recover.

Because his brother hadn't been able to deal with himself at that time, let alone a depressed Ace – that would have been too much for the teen. Ace just had pushed it aside and pretended it had been something like… a bad dream. A bad dream he woke up from and didn't have to think about anymore. Yeah, that seemed okay. Until now.

He just couldn't stop crying, no matter how hard he tried. It seemed so unfair, so damn unfair to him. It didn't make sense. Why was it that he was alive and his pops not? How come the son of Gol D. Roger had managed to survive, and not the greatest of all pirates? Ace didn't understand, didn't know what was reality anymore. The only thing he knew was his father's death.

Whitebeard was dead.

Whitebeard was dead.

Whitebeard was dead.

His FATHER was dead.

He would never come back again.

This tearful scene was being watched by a few bizarre figures. They seemed to be grinning about something. Any normal human being that looked at Ace tearing up in front of his fathers' grave wouldn't find anything funny about it. Still they snickered.

"It's him," They whispered, watching him.

"It's him, Portgas D. Ace! And at his weakest moment!"

**-YXYYXYX-**

"Luffy, we already wandered twice around this stupid island. Ace still must be on that hill, he's not even on the ship." Sanji said, throwing his cigarette away to take out a new one.

"Hmm, that's weird. What could take him that long? Maybe there is a town up th-" Luffy gasped.

"Oh my lord, maybe he's already found a restaurant and stuffed his face full of meat? Aw dang, how unfair of him!"

"Uh, Luffy maybe something's seriously wr-" Chopper started but didn't stand a chance against a hungry Luffy.

"Wait for me, Ace~~!" And with that, Chopper and Sanji only saw a cloud of dust in front of them. Luffy had already dashed up that hill without letting them even answer him.

Luffy sniffled into the air, trying to smell the food. To his surprise there was no food, and he stopped as he reached the tip. Immediately, he realized what was going on despite the fact he could be really slow sometimes.

Luffy's face turned deadly serious and he ground his teeth, slowly stepping nearer to the shaking figure and the cold gravestone. Luffy could hear the whimper of his brother and felt a tug at his heart.

"Agh! Stupid me! Stupid Blackbeard! If only I'd beaten that fuck-"

"Ace?" an almost timid voice called. Ace stopped but didn't look up, forehead on the ground. His head already hurt from the banging but he didn't care.

Besides, he already knew who it was.

"What?" he snapped back, making Luffy frown deeper.

First, Luffy didn't know what to respond but Ace answered anyways. "Don't you dare and ask if something's wrong now." he growled.

"Ace… I know it's hard for you-"

"No, I don't want to hear it! I can't do this anymore, Luffy! I know you've lost not only gramps but six of your friends too and probably have the better reason to cry than me, but I just can't help it! He _saved_ my butt many times! And the last time he tried it _killed_ him!"

Luffy tensed. So that's how it was. Ace was upset because of his 'father's' death. Now that he thought of it, since the war he'd never seen his older brother even shed one single tear. Inwardly, the rubber teen hit himself. Of course, how could he have been so… so BLIND! Ace was traumatized, too! And he'd hid it all up until now, just for Luffy's sake. Because Luffy hadn't been able to cope with his loss and that's why Ace decided to simply ignore his own pain… to help his brother.

Luffy hung his head as if admitting defeat. In truth he was damn _disappointed_ in himself because he hadn't realized Ace's sorrow at all! What kind of brother was he?

"I- I'm sorry," he finally said to the older, but Ace looked at Whitebeard's grave instead of his brother. The young man just was so- so _angry_ and _sad_ at the same time that he couldn't get himself under control. And he exploded, literally.

"You're SORRY?" Dark eyes glared daggers at wide shocked brown eyes. Luffy flinched a bit but didn't take a step away.

"Ace, I-"

"No, just shut up! Shut up for once!" Ace spat, "And just leave me alone!"

"But-"

"GO!" Ace shouted, face red from crying. In the middle of his mental breakdown, Ace really didn't want his little brother of all people stand behind him and watching. That- that was- completely unacceptable! Plus, he just couldn't help but feel anger towards his little brother and the last thing Ace wanted was let it all out on the younger one.

Luffy's expression hardened a little upon hearing the harsh tone of his brothers' voice. He could really understand Ace's feelings and that he was mad at him, but he would not leave his side. Not at a time like that. And Luffy could be pretty stubborn.

"No."

Of course, Ace only got madder as he received that answer and growled. "Luffy, go to your crew! Leave me alone, I don't NEED you!"

Luffy wasn't sure how to deal with his brother now but he tried to hide his uncertainness. "That's not true. Don't lie to me."

Ace bit into his lip upon hearing that. Luffy was _right_, but he'd never want to admit that out loud!

"I'm such an idiot! Why did I even bother to sail with you? You've got two of your crewmates back, so what am I still doing on your damn ship?" Ace chose to ignore whatever Luffy said and went on with his outburst.

Luffy bit his lip and took a step forward, "Ace, I'm-"

SLAP!

Luffy fell back on his butt, hand holding the throbbing cheek. Big eyes looked up in shock only to see Ace standing above him, glaring down.

"Don't say anything. I don't want to hear anything," Ace growled, hands shaking.

Luffy was at a loss of words, he only stared up to his brother. Ace had hit him. Not in the usual way, not like when they had been fighting. Ace really had slapped him hard.

"I-I was ready to die! I was prepared! But I certainly was NOT prepared for HIS death!" Ace said, gulping a few tears down. He felt ashamed. Blinking, he rubbed his eyes with his arm and then gulped again. He'd… he'd _hit_ his brother! What had gotten into him? Ace couldn't think straight anymore, his mind was foggy. And his mouth seemed to open and close on its own. It was weird.

"I should have died, it was my execution… not his!" he added, barely audible.

"B-but Ace, remember our promise not to regret anything" Luffy tried. He nearly flinched as it sounded so pathetic.

"Don't you _dare_ and say that. You were a crumpled mess of regret not too long ago! So don't go around giving me that crap!" Ace hissed, slumping back to his knees. He didn't cry anymore, just looked… hollow.

Luffy casted his eyes on the ground, feeling utterly sad. He was to blame for this, wasn't he? If only he had asked Ace sometime about how HE felt… but Luffy hadn't. He'd been extremely-

"Selfish." Luffy said, causing Ace to look up. "I've been pretty selfish. I'm sorry, Ace." he said, feeling truly sorry. Luffy closed his eyes and bowed politely before his brother.

Ace stared, and opened his mouth to reply but Luffy's head suddenly shot up. Ace blinked as his brother narrowed his eyes.

"We're not-" Luffy started in a low whisper, and that was when Ace realized it as well.

"-Alone." The older finished and turned around, only to see two shadows nearing. Ace felt as if he was hit by an invisible blow. Not only that he'd just discovered Whitebeard's grave, no, now those two clowns had to appear too... Ace clenched his fists in anger.

"What do you want!" It wasn't a question but rather an order from Ace. He had no nerve for them now, definitely not!

"Aw aw aw, now now now! How very very very rude!" The taller of them spoke with narrowed eyes, but a smile was on his lips. He had dark blond hair and a scar on his forehead.

"Thaaat's right! Very rude! Can't seem to like this guy!" The other agreed. He was short, had a dark beard and brown hair that touched his shoulders. "We should eliminate him first, brother!"

Despite their little fight, both Luffy and Ace looked at each other. Then they looked back at their enemies and…

…Picked their noses, looking rather bored. "What kind of dumbasses are you?" they asked in unison.

"WHAT! Unforgivable!" the fat one yelled and lifted his hands. His brother smirked and took a step back, making Ace and Luffy wonder.

"What-" the two D. brothers began, but then they suddenly coughed.

Luffy gasped, closing his eyes as his lungs suddenly began to hurt like hell. Wh-what was going on all of sudden?

Ace reacted similar and grasped his throat in pain, eyes widening upon realizing something important.

"You-"

The fat man smirked, eyes darkening. "Yes. Devil Fruit."

**YXYXYXYXYXYX**

**Hope you liked it~ sorry for the long wait again… and for the cliffhanger! I don't plan on letting you guys wait four weeks again for the next chapter… my aim is to update once a week, let's see if I'll be able to pull that through^-^ I will only focus on this story from now on, so be prepared for an earlier update next time :D**

**Anyways, I only update quicker if I get some nice reviews ;) They motivate me a LOT! So please review, people, and tell me what you think of this chapter!**

**Thank you and see you next time~ :D**


	11. A matter of acceptance

**A/N: Hello everyone, I'm really sorry for the long delay! It's been months, my God! I feel awful! Things had been quite a chaos... but I enjoy writing a lot, so this story will be finished no matter what! Feel free to throw foul tomatoes at me for the delay though. **

**Btw, I hope I didn't confuse anyone by changing the summary twice! Thanks for Silver Shadowbreeze for suggesting it and also for beta'ing! =D**

**Llaelien: Thankies! Aw yeah they really are, ne? :D**

**crazzyredhead: Thanks :) Really? Huh that's strange... I don't know why that is, though I hope this time it won't happen again... anyways, I'm really glad you liked the twist^^**

**KTDLover: *Blushes* Aaw I'm so happy you think so, thank you! Seriously, that motivated me a lot! Thanks for that kind review! :'D**

**azab: Aw, thank you very much for reviewing so many times :3 It makes me happy to see you've enjoyed my story so far! And yes, Luffy was indeed healing slower because he thought he'd lost eight members of the crew and did not only fail as a captain but as a friend too.**

**roo17: Wow, I don't think I've ever gotten such a long review before! Thank you! I'll answer you in a personal message if you don't mind^-^**

**Lyneel: Hello there again, thanks for reviewing to this story too! Your review made me smile so much :) Thank you for your kind words! I'm all blushing now x)**

**You guys made me so happy and all of your reviews are a great motivation to me ;)**

**-bows-I'm so sorry it took me so long to write this ;( **

**Disclaimer: I don't know any of One Piece!**

**YXYXYXYXYXYXY**

**Chapter 11 – A matter of acceptance**

_Ace reacted similarly and grasped his throat in pain, eyes widening upon realizing something important._

_"You-"_

_The fat man smirked, eyes darkening. "Yes. Devil Fruit."_

"Devil fr- what kind of devil fruit is that?" Ace coughed, having trouble inhaling properly. The two odd figures just continued to smirk knowingly, nearing with slow steps.

"You still haven't figured it out? Aaaw, I'm disappointed in you, Fire Fist." the taller one teased.

"Right! Me too! I thought someone famous like him were more clever! But he's just a dumbass!" his brother agreed. Ace narrowed his eyes but chose to ignore the silly teasing. After all, he wanted to know what they were planning. He could still beat them up later.

"Damn... what's with those jerks? Who the heck are they?" Ace heard Luffy curse behind him. The teen struggled to stand up and could hardly keep himself from collapsing again.

"Ooooh... and who might you be, little fellow?" the tall one asked. And that was when Ace felt the sudden urge to burn their faces to ashes. As if they didn't know him! Luffy's name had been in the papers not too long ago.

Since the Sabaody incident and the war at Marineford, the whole world knew him! He and Luffy were on the top list of the most wanted criminals since they were the sons of Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Dragon. There was absolutely no way those two weirdos did not recognize Luffy, unless they had been living on a lonely island for years... but that didn't seem logical to Ace. He growled dangerously, ready to strike at them.

"If there's one thing I really hate, it's if I have to repeat myself... so just to make this clear: What. Do. You. Want? And you better think about your answer carefully, 'cause I can't guarantee anything," Ace grumbled. Those two guys who just decided to show up didn't really lift his mood... quite the opposite actually. How dare they disturb him? How dare they be so disrespectful towards his pop's grave?

"Oh, that's true! How utterly unpolite of us! This is my brother Rube, and I'm Den. We're bounty hunters, quite famous, I might add." the blond-haired man said it as if they were the most famous people in the world, smirking all the way.

Ace and Luffy looked dumbstruck, then they suddenly grinned.

"What, you're Den? Ahahaha I would be so ashamed if I had such a stupid name!" Luffy began to laugh. Ace chuckled dryly, shaking his head.

"How is 'Luffy' a better name?" Rube roared, furious.

Den growled. He'd thought they'd at least show _some_ respect, but laughing? This kind of reaction he'd expected the least! He tried to control his anger but failed miserably as a shout of "What the hell is so funny?" erupted from his throat.

Luffy wiped some tears away as he tried to catch his breath. "Ahaha, did your mother recieve a call from a _Den Den _Mushi during your birth or something? That's just too hilarious!" And he continued to giggle like a little kid.

A vein appeared on Den's forehead. So _that's _why they were laughing like idiots. How dare they?

Ace tried to hide his smile. How could he be so silly at such a time? Typical for Luffy to make him laugh at the worst situations. Ace cleared his throat and stood straight, casting a glance at his little brother. "Luffy, please, this is quite serious! Try to behave for once!"

But Luffy didn't seem to hear him, for he continued to roll on the ground. Ace wanted to lecture his brother further when he suddenly realized something. Luffy was _laughing_. And Ace himself could breathe freely again!

The Fire Fist immediately narrowed his eyes at Den, watching him closely.

Whatever kind of attack the blonde guy had performed before, now its effect ceased slowly.

The blond-haired man was standing there, his body completely tensed, fingers tightly clenched to fists. Weren't his fingers crossed awkwardly before? Ace focused his attention on him, who would be his first victim of his anger. He was just about to send a fire fist at Den when the other guy to his left made a sudden move.

"You little shithead!" Rube cursed. "Let's see if you're still laughing when I do THIS!" The fat man put his right fist atop of the other and shouted something Ace didn't catch. An opaque liquid shot out between the gap of his hands and surrounded Luffy. Mentioned boy gasped and tried to jump out of reach, but it was too late. The liquid closed around him one second, hardening to a clear stone-hard substance the next second. Luffy was trapped.

"Ha! Look who's laughing now! I told you! Ha ha ha!" Rube smirked, nodding as if to agree to his own joke.

"Luffy!" Ace gasped. 'Another devil fruit user? Damn, this fatty sure is fast!' Ace thought, cursing. Maybe he did underestimate the two jerks after all... but that didn't matter, now he needed to focus on freeing his brother before Luffy suffocated in that- that box of glass. It didn't look like his brother could free himself and Rube wasn't kind enough to leave small holes for oxygen to breathe. What a sneaky tactic! "Luffy! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Luffy looked a little shaken and continued to kick at the walls. "I'm alright, but I can't move enough to break free and the glass is kinda hard too. Shoulda known he'd make a cube. Damn this rubix-cube-freak!"

Despite the awful situation, Ace had to smile a little. He doubted Rube and Den would get the meaning behind Luffy making fun of Rube's name. But he had to admit, 'Rubix Cube' fitted perfectly and-

Ace shook his head. He needed to focus on rescuing Luffy. While he jumped up and began to dash for his brother, he wondered since when his moods began to change so quickly.

Luffy wasn't too far ahead and Ace had nearly reached him. "Just hold on a sec, I'll-" but before Ace could finish his sentence, Den suddenly appeared before him and tried to hit him. The young man barely dodged, taking a step back out of reflex.

"Did you really think we would make it this easy for you?" Den teased.

"Crap," Ace cursed, glaring at the blonde guy. "Move you asshole!"

"Aaaaaw. That would be no fun. Make me, Fire Fist." he replied in that annoying voice of his and Ace's right eye twitched. This man was so getting on his nerves right now! But he couldn't allow to let the anger lead him, otherwise he would become blind and irrational. Ace needed to stay calm and think about his next moves. That was the only chance he had to help his brother.

Mentioned brother was still trying to escape his prison of glass, but to no avail. Luffy just didn't have enough space to hit the walls hard enough for them to break. It was just big enough for him to stand.

Luffy wasn't one to panic easily (only if they ran low on meat) but even he was becoming slightly claustrophobic. Why couldn't he break free? It was just glass, right? He began to sweat and his breaths came faster and more labored.

"Damn IT! You bastard!" he swore, ignoring the sweat that was rolling down his forehead. He had to get out! Ace needed him now. How was he supposed to kick those guy's asses when he was caught in here? The boy scratched and kicked and hit all his surroundings. He didn't even notice Rube and Den laughing at him as his sight became slightly blurry. "Let me out, you cowards! Fight me fair! Argh!"

Slowly, Luffy was going crazy in that tight glas box. The air was getting thicker and thicker.

Ace threw one quick glance at his imprisoned brother. That glance was enough for Ace to gasp slightly. The panicking look in Luffy's eyes... the eighteen-year-old resembled a helpless rat, caught in a small cage. A pang of anger shot through Ace and he growled dangerously. How dare they do that to his brother!

"_Look after him, he's our little brother after all!"_Ace clearly recalled what Sabo had asked him in his letter. And now he had let these assholes capture Luffy. He'd _promised _to look after him. How could Ace let this happen? Was he that useless?

"You fucking jerks!" he roared, letting all his anger out at once. His opponents smirked at this, knowing their tactic was working.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Ace realized what he did was wrong, all his alarm bells were ringing but he ignored them. He had no control over himself in that moment. All he knew was that his brother was trapped and he had to take revenge. He charged blindly at Den and Rube.

Luffy saw and shouted until his throat was sore and scratched until his fingers began to bleed.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXYX**

"Wh-who the fuck are you?" Sanji asked as he struggled, trying to get out of the enemy's grasp. The plants around him only tightened further.

It had happened so fast neither Sanji nor Chopper had any time to react. One moment, he and the doctor were wondering about the D brothers, especially with Luffy's lack of sense of danger. The next moment, Sanji was flying through the air, followed by a thick tendril that closed around his body as soon as he hit the earth.

"What the heck is this?" Sanji cursed, cigarette falling out of his mouth.

Then, two weird looking men appeared before them. The first one, Nef, had long, black hair that was tied in a ponytail. His grey eyes shone without any emotions in them. The other one called Glenn rubbed his hands and glanced arrogantly at them. Then, he lifted his hands and made a weird move with them. Sanji cried out as the plants threatened to squeeze the life out of him.

Chopper woke from his frozen stand and gasped. Who were these guys? One of them was a devil fruit user. What kind of power was that?

"Sanji!" He cried but the moment the word left his mouth the wind was knocked out of him. Nef had kicked him in the stomach. The man landed on the ground gracefully, face blank as if nothing had happened.

Sanji's eye widened and he wriggled in the grasp of the tendrils, to no avail. "Shit! Chopper, you alright?"

The reindeer coughed and tried to ignore the sudden feeling of nausea. He cringed at the bile he tasted in his mouth and shakily stood on his legs.

"Y-yeah. Don't worry!" He finally said to the cook, and went into his human form. He was ready to fight.

"Don't worry? Little fellow, I think you have no idea who you are messing with!" Nef said in a monotone voice that gave Chopper the creeps. What was with this guy and his weird attitude? He sounded like a robot!

Glenn snorted. "Stupid, ignorant pirates. We're part of the well-known bounty hunter team, the Ixion-group!" (1)

Both Chopper and Sanji halted in their current movements. The Ixion-group? That rang a bell. That name had been in the papers not too long ago. The pirate Uroge and his crew were only a few of the countless pirates that had been brought to Impel Down by them.

_S_anji frowned as he recalled the headline he'd read two weeks ago:

"_The new protectors of law! Ixion-group caught notorious criminal Basil Hawkins!"_

The cook couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXYX**

Ace panted, head lowered and fists clenched tightly. He was so angry at himself and his so-called 'father' at the moment. He didn't even know where this anger was coming from. Shouldn't he feel angry about the two insane guys who randomly appeared and trapped his brother in a fucking cage of GLASS?

He swallowed hard, trying to catch his breath. His thoughts were racing, his heart was pounding loudly, and it hurt to breathe; it felt like his insides were being torn apart. A horrible scream erupted from his throat as the gas eroded his lungs. Damn this gas guy! At least he'd figured out that the blonde could control some sort of gas and Rube had the ability to create glass, but that knowledge was of little use as long as Ace didn't have his feelings under control.

Ace fell to the ground again, gasping weakly. Each breath he took only caused more pain and he struggled to get oxygen into his screaming lungs. He'd always taken the ability to breathe freely for granted; how wrong he was.

He felt someone kick him into his ribs, Den or Rube he couldn't tell. Ace suppressed another scream and rolled onto his other side. His head spun, and he barely registered where he was lying: in front of Whitebeard's grave. He closed his eyes tightly. _'Pops...'_

Why was it that he didn't feel anything but loathing for himself? He was disgusted, disgusted by his sire and himself. Gold Roger was a vile monster, and he was none the better. Why couldn't Ace have died instead of Whitebeard? It would be all right then. At least then both the demons would be dead and the one with the pure blood could live.

"He's really weak all of sudden, isn't he?" Rube laughed. "Now he's behaving nicely. The little brat over there should follow Fire Fist's example."

"You're right, brother. At least one of them is learning fast." Den put his hands on his hip, obviously proud of their victory.

Ace didn't even hear it as he tried to suppress his sobs. Luffy didn't listen as he watched in horror as Ace got worked up because of something that was not his fault.

As the fight went on, Ace was more focused on his wandering mind than actually trying to burn his enemies as he was supposed to do. He even forgot about Luffy, which would have surprised the former Whitebeard pirate if he was aware of it, and he would have hated himself even more.

Ace didn't ask for this life. He didn't ask for his true father, Whitebeard, to give his life for him, yet Ace had received that rescue… yet people did all of that for him at the cost of their own lives. Ace didn't feel like he deserved it. He wanted his mother and Whitebeard to live in exchange for his own worthless life. Why did they die for him? Why did he even exist? Why was it that he felt so dirty and disgusting? How come he couldn't even beat these two bastards that were trying to kill his only brother?

"I-I'm... pathetic..." he said more to himself, but still everyone had caught it... including Luffy.

The strawhat pirate could see Ace kneeling on the dirty ground, bleeding and panting, and it looked as if Ace was too ashamed to lift his head to look at his father's gravestone. This sight nearly broke Luffy's heart and he wanted to get out of his glassy prison and hug his brother. It shocked Luffy to see Ace looking so lonely... so _lost_... Ace had always walked tall, and strong and he had been so _proud_... or had his big brother always been like this and Luffy just hadn't noticed?

_'Was I this blind all the time not to see Ace's true feelings?_' Luffy suddenly began to wonder who should hate himself. He was the monster, not Ace. He had done nothing to prevent this breakdown, even if it was so damn obvious to any outsider. Luffy bit his lip until it drew blood and wished he would choke on it. Not that it would make sense to die now, like this, but he felt he deserved it for his selfishness. _'Ace, I'm sorry.'_ His whole body shook.

"Wohahaha! We beat 'em, we really beat 'em! Can you believe that, Den? We beat the infamous D Brothers! We'll be rich!"

Den grinned and nodded slowly, not bothering to face Ace who was lying on the ground, gasping like a fish out of water. "Yes. Now we'll be the one being famous and respected! I bet Nef and Glann have already beaten the other two losers. That means more beli for us!"

"Great! Aah, was just too easy to win! Though it'd be more work, apparently I was wrong for thinking so highly of the Strawhats." Rube replied, scratching his round belly.

Luffy went down on his knees as a cough rattled his body. He needed to remain calm, otherwise he'd never get out of this box! He blinked, trying to clear his view but it was still blurry due to the lack of air.

Despite that, he tried to narrow his eyes at the two enemies. He couldn't hear them talking anymore; all he heard was the blood rushing in his head and his heart beating too fast.

But he didn't need to hear them, what he saw was enough to understand. Their facial expressions spoke volumes. For a moment, Luffy forgot about his own panic and suffering and suffocating, all he could do was stare at Ace's weak and shivering form. The man who lay there was not his brother, clearly not. Ace was supposed to be strong, wasn't he? It was all wrong, an utterly twisted world.

Den and Rube kept on smirking and grinning and pointing with their dirty fingers at his brother who was unable to defend himself. It made Luffy sick. Yes, he was sick of such people like them who didn't know a thing and yet acted as if they were aware of all of that what lied behind those dark eyes of Ace.

"Dirty, dirty, ugly, ugly!" one of them sneered and kicked Ace into the side. The other thought it was funny, laughed and soon joined in kicking and boxing the downed fire user.

Luffy had heard every word, for the two began to shout out loud now, and he could taste his own bile in his mouth. "ACE! Fight back! What the fuck are you doing on the ground?" His voice was hoarse and it hurt to scream but that wouldn't stop Luffy.

Ace didn't answer. He didn't even move, but Luffy was sure he'd heard him. Even the two enemies were looking up in surprise but sneered and chose to ignore him to continue to beat Ace. His big brother Ace, who always protected him, no matter what. It was Luffy's turn to protect him now.

"Get up, get up, get up!" Luffy repeated over and over again in his helpless state, being forced to watch without being able to help at all. "Ace, you need to fight! Darn, I know you are strong enough so why don't yo-" but Luffy didn't finish his sentence and went down to his knees again. He coughed and gasped weakly and forcefully grabbed his sore throat. He needed air! His head began to spin.

"Damn it, Ace, you need to open your eyes!" Luffy wanted to shout, but his voice was hoarse from all the screaming. Luffy cringed at the weak whine that escaped his throat instead.

Suddenly he felt like he was thrown back in time, being a weak seven-year-old crybaby again. Luffy felt so miserable and tears began to prick in his eyes. Despite it all, the teen just couldn't find the courage to cry. It would be just utterly childish to cry now.

'I don't understand. I just don't understand it.' Luffy thought, a single tear making its way down his flushed cheek. Ace was strong, so unbelievably strong, and Luffy didn't mean his brothers' devil fruit powers. Ace had a strong heart, a strong will, yet he didn't seem strong enough to beat back that dark side everyone had in their souls. It grew stronger and stronger, and Ace was losing the fight against it. It tore Luffy apart, and without himself really controlling it, he opened his mouth and-

"Ace! Don't be so damn blind! Fight back already! You finally need to ACCEPT YOURSELF!" Luffy's voice was back, and it hit with full force. Even the strawhat boy would have been surprised by his own outburst but his mind was currently focused on Ace.

The noise of glass shattering rang through the air and caused Rube and Den to flinch. Ace blinked and finally managed to look up. Luffy had destroyed his prison of glass. He was free. Rube was about to make a move and capture the boy again when suddenly his limbs grew weak. He could faintly hear his brother Den gasp behind him.

Time seemed to stop, the grass on the ground and all the other plants stopped moving in the wind. Even the two teasing opponents froze in their tracks, a chill running down their spine.

The only thing moving were the tears on Ace's cheeks.

In very slow motions and after what seemed an eternity, the fire user finally managed to turn around. It felt like a flash had struck him. He was speechless. _You need to accept yourself._

Was _this_ his little brother? The weak crybaby he and Sabo always, _always_ had to protect? The boy who was nothing more than a broken, crying, self-pitying _child_ when he lost his nakama?

There was nothing left of the weakling. Before Ace stood a proud, strong, self-confident fighter- a leader with heart and soul- a _king_. Miraculously, the strawhat boy seemed... Ace blinked- _taller _than before. Ace had a sudden déjà vu. He'd witnessed a moment like this before, the moment when the aura around his brother became truly impressive. This was rare, but whenever it occurred there was an incredibly strong force in the air. Ace also noted that these kinds of outbursts grew stronger.

Ace was searching for a suitable comparison. It was as if Luffy's aura was breaking out of the shell of a young boy, finally showing his true nature and the reason why he'd come so far.

It was overwhelming, and everyone present felt his power clawing at their skin and shooting right through their bodies, leaving them feeling strangely naked.

For a split second, the temperature seemed to drop and then the two opponents fainted and crashed to the ground. But they were not the only ones who were affected by it. Ace's legs shook like leaves in the wind and he was unable to take his eyes off Luffy.

And Luffy stared right back at him with an unreadable expression. Mouth slightly agape, Ace could only hear Luffy's words echoing in his head over and over again. _Accept yourself_.

Accept yourself. Acceptance. Giving acceptance to himself? He didn't dared. Could he? Should he?

"It's easy if you want to."

Ace blinked, the first movement since his brothers' outburst, and narrowed his eyes. Luffy's mouth hadn't moved at all. He only stood there and looked at his older brother. But Ace could have sworn… he shook his head. That was impossible. But a small doubt remained.

He had heard Luffy say it! The older D brother was convinced... but where had it come from if Luffy's mouth hadn't moved at all? Was he hearing things?

Shaking his head, the fire-user pushed the matter aside. There was time for later. Now it was time to get up and fight!

With that thought in mind, Ace spat onto the ground, trying to get rid of the weird taste in his mouth. He needed to get himself together. And as quick as the sudden force had appeared, it disappeared and Ace found himself breathing again. He blinked again, wiping away his tears. What the heck was he doing on the ground?

"Damn, how could I let my guard down like that!" he exclaimed and jumped back to his feet with a sudden energy. Ace had to make this Den guy pay for being so disrespectful in front of his father's grave after all.

The twenty-one-year old man inhaled deeply, enjoying the taste of sweet, clear air and then turned to face Luffy. The strawhat boy stood behind him and beamed. This trademark smile reminded Ace that this was still his little brother.

'That's right,' Ace thought, 'this is my brother, my silly Luffy.'

But despite that thought and Luffy's childish smile, Ace still had goosebumps on his skin.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXYX**

**(1) Ixion is some guy from the Greek mythology who killed his father-in-law. Thought that would be a fitting name for their group.**

**I'd be really happy to receive some reviews! Hope you liked this chapter ;)**

**Neko11**


	12. I promised, didn't I?

**Thanks a lot for all the hits, faves and, all above, those lovely reviews! It makes me so happy to see you guys are enjoying my story! :)**

**roo17: Yeah, but he's back on his feet now! :D Aw, you make me blush again, thanks so much~ ! :3 You're right, they deserve to get their butts kicked! Don't worry, knowing Ace and Luffy, they won't let 'em get away with that! ;) Thank you! Hope you'll like this chapter~ =D**

**crazzyredhead: Thanks :) Here you go, have fun! =)**

**KTDLover: Hello once again! ;) You did? Well, truth be told, while writing that scene with Luffy trapped, I felt kinda uncomfortable too xD I would've gotten a panic attack if I were him O.O Yeah, I know right? Poor Ace... Anyways, thank you -bows- and please enjoy this chapter :D**

**Son of Whitebeard: They're such a good team, aren't they? =D**

**Thanks a thousand times, you guys! Also, a big thank you to Silver Shadowbreeze, the beta reader of this story!**

**Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Oda-sensei!**

**YXYXYXYXYXYXYX**

**Chapter 12: I promised, didn't I?**

_'That's right,' Ace thought, 'this is my brother, my silly Luffy.'_

_But despite that thought and Luffy's childish smile, Ace still had goose bumps on his skin._

"Luffy, you okay?" Ace asked, though he already knew the answer. His little brother nodded, still smiling widely.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Luffy answered, putting his strawhat back on his head. Luffy didn't bother to ask about his brother's well-being, which didn't surprise Ace at all. They had time for it later; first they had to concentrate on their opponents. "It's not over."

"I know." Ace answered, staying focused.

Mentioned enemies were already showing signs of waking. The D brothers knew the end of the fight was still yet to come and got into fighting stances, eyes narrowed and faces serious. The moment these guys appeared, Luffy and Ace both had sensed that Den and Rube were no ordinary bounty hunters and shouldn't be underestimated. 'Though', Ace thought, 'they mustn't make the mistake to underestimate _us_!'

"Get up and fight, you bastards!" Ace muttered but found his lips twitching upright. Why did he feel so good all of sudden?

The twenty-one-year-old was finally back on his feet, literally. Strangely enough, Ace had been on the verge of going into a depression minutes before. However, his appearance was an entirely different story now. He was proud, full of energy, and felt like the world would stop turning without him. Ace had no idea why he felt so strong all of sudden but decided to shrug it off. Blame it on Luffy, as always.

Ace's high spirit was contagious, and Luffy found himself grinning again uncontrollably.

'This is just like the old days.' He giggled at the thought. Whenever there was a fight in sight, Ace would _never_ back down, no matter what, even if the enemy was heavily armed and surrounded by strong-looking allies.

Luffy had always admired his brother's attitude, and still did. He closed his eyes for a moment and let the memory warm his heart. 'He didn't change. He's still my brother Ace, after all.' Luffy smiled, opening eyes that seemed a little brighter than before.

"Ugh... wh-what on earth was that?" Den's whole body shook with shock and exhaustion, but the young man managed to stand up again. A rough cough left his mouth and he narrowed his eyes at Ace and Luffy. His companion, Rube, struggled to get back to his feet too and wiped his mouth.

"It seems that we forgot who we're fighting against... you are Portgas D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy after all-"

"We know who we are, thank you." Ace and Luffy exclaimed in unison with arms crossed over their chests.

Rube ignored the interruption and continued, "- but we won't make the same mistake again. We have plenty of experience with pirate scum like you two!"

Ace's expression darkened. "Oh? Then you already know what follows next, I suppose."

"That's right! We'll kick your asses for sure!" Luffy agreed, smile still present.

"Tch! Don't think too highly of yourselves!" Den clenched his fists and Ace noted that the color was already returning to their enemies' cheeks. They had been able to recover from the Haoshoku-shock incredibly fast.

Ace's face grew darker and he gritted his teeth. 'It doesn't matter. Strong or not, they WILL pay for disrespecting oyaji!' His glance wandered to Whitebeard's gravestone, which seemed to gleam pure white.

Without any warning, a deep growl erupted from Ace's throat and he charged at Den. But this time, he didn't attack mindlessly.

"Ace!" Luffy nearly yelped, but he quickly stopped himself. There was a huge difference between the Ace now and the Ace from before. _This_ Ace won't lose. Luffy held his composure and watched as the other D's fist began to burn and a fire ball was launched at Den. Yes, this was the Ace he knew; no reason to worry.

"Well, looks like you are my opponent in this fight, huh?" Luffy turned to the fat Rube and grinned. But it wasn't the same silly grin that usually made Luffy look like an innocent child. This grin had a special serious touch towards it that made the strawhat boy look _dangerous_. Rube couldn't quite describe it but he felt the sudden urge to close his eyes and run away.

The only thing that stopped him was the image of his boss. That man was serious trouble, and Rube would be in reach of that trouble if he returned without Ace's and Luffy's heads. There was no way his boss would let him and the rest of the infamous Ixion-group live.

So, instead of running away, Rube cracked a cocky smile that covered up his fear and lifted his fists. "And there you had me thinking you'd run after your pitiful brother for a moment," he sneered. "Are you sure that poor guy should be facing Den all alone? It will be your fault when he dies trying to beat Den."

A shudder went through Luffy at this. _...Your fault when he dies_. _It's your fault. You are the captain, aren't you? _Pictures of his crew â€" the whole strawhat crew- shot through his head and for a moment, Rube thought he spotted a look of sadness in straw hat's eyes.

But Luffy's shock quickly disappeared and he growled. To say that he was pissed was a complete understatement. Luffy was in deep rage and his look seemed to pierce Rube. Oh, if looks could kill. The eighteen-years-old decided against replying to this weak attempt to shatter his composure. As if he would bother to waste his energy on this ignorant guy! Rube simply wasn't worth the trouble.

Luffy continued to fix the fat guy with a death glare that seemed to freeze Rube. Seizing his chance, the boy began to pump his blood faster through his legs. Steam emitted from every inch of his body, and Luffy clenched his fists. "Gear second."

Rube hesitated as fear crept up his spine like a poisonous spider. Maybe he had gone too far after all. Now it was too late to change that. Now he had to prove his worth to his master.

"C-come!" Rube stuttered and forced his arms to work. "Today's the day you'll be defeated, Monkey D. Luffy!"

Luffy frowned for a moment. Something was weird about this guy. Nevertheless, it didn't stop him from attacking the fat Rube.

YXYXYXYXYXYXYXYX

"Sanji!" Chopper squeaked, his eyes widening to the max. "Let him go, you bastards!" The reindeer was in his human form, busily dodging kicks from Nef.

Sanji's head dropped and his chin rested on his breast. Glenn's giant plant, still tightly wrapped around the cook's body, continued to strangle him mercilessly even after Sanji had lost consciousness.

Chopper shrieked, fearing the worst, and wanted to help so badly. But Nef kept him in place and forced his attention on him. "Damn! Get out of my way!" Chopper shouted. It was nearly tearing him apart to watch a crewmate and precious friend get killed _yet again. _This couldn't happen, not _again!_ Chopper charged at Nef and tried to kick and hit him, but the other just jumped into the air to avoid his attacks.

It looked as if Nef was only playing with Chopper, and the poor reindeer was getting desperate to get past him to Sanji. Mentioned blond-haired man was losing all the color in his face, his lips turning to an unhealthy blue.

"You asshole! Sanji!" Chopper felt tears wet his furry cheeks but he didn't care about that. He had to get to Sanji! Luffy was counting on them- he was counting on _him!_ He'd seemed so self-confident and proud, always saying that '_We're a strong crew after all, aren't we?' _and Chopper had always believed him. Strangely enough, Chopper didn't believe it now.

A blow into his stomach launched him right back into reality and the world of pain. With a loud crash Chopper flew into a tree, splitting it in half. As he shakily managed to get up again, he could taste blood on his tongue. 'What's up with this guy...? His kicks and hits are way too hard!' He glanced at Sanji who was still out cold and the laughing Glenn. He felt his blood beginning to boil. They would NOT steal another nakama from him!

"UWOOOOH!" Chopper howled and blindly raced towards Nef. The black-haired guy didn't show any emotion and his transfixed expression irritated Chopper even more.

"Don't overdo it, little one." Nef said in a cold voice that lacked of any sympathy. A chill ran down Chopper's spine as he stared into those brown eyes and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Wh-what's this...?" Chopper gulped. Nef had dark brown eyes, but somehow, they were cold. Didn't they say that brown eyes were warm and blue eyes were cold? Then why wasn't there any warmth in Nef's eyes? And the way he moved... something was truly weird about him.

Chopper didn't have time to think about it as Nef suddenly appeared right in front of him and began to beat him mercilessly. Chopper barely had enough time to cover himself as hundreds of blows rained down on him without any pause.

YXYXYXYXYXYXYXYX

"_Hiken!"_ Ace's infamous fire fist flew with surprising speed towards Den. The blond-haired man gasped in shock and jumped to the side. The fire ball crashed into the ground and set parts of the meadow on fire. Den gulped, the heat was immense. He could feel the sweat running down the backside of his neck and wasn't sure whether he was sweating from the heat or in fear.

"Look who's laughing now!" Ace quoted Rube teasingly and shot a small ball of fire at Den. The young man wasn't quick enough to jump aside and got hit between the ribs.

"Argh!" he screamed in pain and clutched his burning and bleeding side. "Damn you, you fucking pirate! We're not gonna lose! We CAN'T lose!" and with that said, Den jumped up again despite the fact he was already severely wounded.

Ace blinked, wondering why his opponent just didn't give up, and attacked again. It was not the fact Ace didn't understand the drive and will to win, it was just that he didn't get _this_ guy. What was he fighting for? Den must have noticed already that there was absolutely no way for him to win this, why did he keep on fighting? Pirates fought not to get caught or to achieve their goals and dreams, but bounty hunters who had no chance of winning? Why was Den so... desperate?

YXYXYXYX

Luffy stood before Rube, no longer in Gear Second. There was no need to since the brown-haired guy was lying on the floor, out cold. Luffy hadn't doubted he would win, but he had to admit Rube's been quite _stubborn_.

Dusting off his trousers, Luffy wanted to turn around when suddenly he heard Rube's weak but desperate voice shouting an attack. Immediately, the strawhat teen whirled around.

"Razor boost!" Rube shouted and Luffy was faced with numerous tiny splinters of glass flying his way. There was no time for cover, so Luffy clenched his eyes tightly shut and tried to shield his face with his arms. Seconds later, there was a burning pain on all parts of his body as the splitters bore their way through his rubbery flesh.

"Ugh!" Luffy grumbled in pain. After what seemed an eternity, the attack was over but Luffy didn't move. Blood was dripping down on the ground, turning the green grass into crimson red.

Rube panted, fighting to stay conscious, but managed a smirk. 'That should've settled it, then!' He thought triumphantly. However, his grin was quickly wiped out of his face as Luffy's arms moved behind his back.

"Gomu Gomu nooo..." Luffy said, and Rube felt his breath getting caught in his throat. "Bazooka!" he yelled, throwing his hands forward to ram into the man's sizeable stomach.

The fat man flew through the air and landed roughly on the hard ground. As he opened his eyes again, he instantly knew that at least four of his ribs were broken. He heard steps of sandaled feet nearing.

'And he didn't even use his steamy stance this time...' Rube thought and couldn't fight the tears that began to blur his sight as realization hit him. 'There is no way we can win against these two.'

"Are you done?" Luffy asked with an expressionless face. Rube didn't rise and at first Luffy thought the man had finally lost consciousness. But then, he could see Rube move his hands into one of his pockets.

"I-If I cannot fight you, then I won't stay alive either." He only said and before Luffy could say or do anything, the man pulled out a small box, opened it and swallowed one of the lilac capsules that were in it.

Seconds later, Rube's eyes widened and he groaned and coughed, clutching at his stomach.

"Wh-what the hell are you doing!" Luffy gasped. Had he just poisoned himself? The eighteen-year-old fell on his knees beside his former opponent and shook him by the shoulder. "What is this all about? Why-" But he was interrupted by Rube who gasped loudly.

"B-boss wanted us to make sure you'd get killed... he wanted to see both you and Portgas dead no matter what... You've already met him, I think...but that doesn't m-matter, I'm gonna d-die anyways..." Rube's eyes dropped slowly and his movement ceased.

"I-I've met him?" Luffy blinked. Then he narrowed his eyes at Rube. "Why us? Because we're pirates?" Luffy pressed. He had no idea what this guy was talking about, but his instincts told him to listen to him. There was important information hidden behind Rube's words.

"No, h-he wants to eliminate every single man who carries the 'D'." Rube's face had turned an unhealthy pale shade by now. He coughed weakly and blood ran down his lips.

Luffy frowned. "The... 'D'? Why?"

"I-I don't know why I am telling you this, but..." Rube gasped for breath, his voice growing silent. "Our boss is scared. H-he is scared that those who carry the 'D' in their names will discover the shameful p-past of the World Government."

"What?" Luffy didn't know what to say. This all seemed so mysterious, so weird! _Why are you so scared of_ _your own boss?_

He wanted to ask Rube this, but saw how fast the life was vanishing out of Rube's body. Enemy or not, this fat guy didn't deserve to die like _this_. Luffy took his face between his hands and forced Rube to look at him.

"Listen, you can tell me all of this later, but for now, you have to stay awake! I have a doctor in my crew, Chopper, he'll save you!" Luffy didn't know why he was suddenly fighting so desperately for this fat man's life, but he felt that Rube was just some pitiful, scared, young man who needed protection and sought it from the wrong man.

"I-it's no use, straw- hat..." Rube's eyes tried to focus, "There is no antidote to th-this poison… but I'd r-rather die like th-this than face m-my boss… and-"

"Stop talking!" Luffy interrupted, "We'll save you, don't worry! Chopper can-"

"Strawhat... we probably have shot ourselves in the back with this shit, b-but N-Nef and Glenn are t-taking care of your other m-members. It's our o-own fault."

"No! I don't understand what you are saying, but just stay awake and-" but it was too late. Rube's eyes had lost all focus and his breathing had stopped. Luffy could only clutch the man's face and _stare_ helplessly.

YXYXYXYXYXYYXY

"Ha ha, look at that face!" Glenn chuckled and shook his head. "This was really way too easy!"

Nef didn't reply and just stared at the unmoving form of Chopper. There was a huge pool of blood around the reindeer, but short, pained gasps signaled he was still alive.

"Still got some life in you, eh?" The black-haired man said.

Chopper spat out blood and struggled to stand up. "T-that's right..." He looked over to Sanji who still lay limply in the clutches of a giant plan, and glared back at Nef again. "And as long as I am breathing, I will fight for my nakama!"

"Stubborn little thing." Glenn commented from the side, lazily leaning on his self-created plant, watching.

Nef however didn't say anything and just moved out of the way again as the reindeer went to hit him in his human form. Again, Chopper wasn't able to land a hit and instead received a hard slap to his cheek. What was up with this guy? It was like he was calculating his next movements!

Suddenly, Chopper's eyes widened and he leaped back, staring at Nef. "Hold on!" He said, more to himself, and narrowed his eyes at his opponent. Nef stood there, waiting, without any emotions in his cold eyes again.

'That's right! His eyes...!' Chopper gasped. "You've not blinked even once in all this time!" he exclaimed and managed to make Glenn flinch. He growled, and began to shout. Nef however stayed silent.

"So what? He's just-"

"A robot." Chopper finished. Glenn flinched yet again, angry somebody managed to see through this.

"You little-! How?" Glenn bared his teeth, apparently he hadn't expected someone to figure out Nef was nothing but a nonliving metal machine.

Chopper grinned, and for the first time since this fight had begun, he felt self-confidence sweep back into his soul. "I'm a doctor! No one knows the human body better than me!" _And this explains these cold eyes, too..._ he added in his thoughts.

Nef began to move towards him again, but this time, Chopper was prepared. Once you knew what you were fighting against, you were able to figure out its weaknesses.

"I'm gonna save you Sanji, just hold on a little longer!" Chopper said, eating another of his Rumble Balls. Then he ran. Nef was standing in front of the huge plant Sanji was caught in and was ready to kick the doctor again, but Chopper managed to surprise him. The reindeer didn't run towards Sanji this time, but straight for the ocean!

Nef's head turned to him and then he began to run after Chopper, not sensing the danger like every living being would. Even Glenn's shouts didn't stop him.

Chopper grit his teeth as he came in contact with the salty water, and he felt his strength fade rapidly. When the water reached his knees, he stopped and turned around. "Come and get me!" he shouted, and Nef jumped right at him.

Glenn gasped as Chopper turned into some tall guy with long legs and made a huge leap towards the shore. The robot however wasn't able to leap around like that and couldn't change his fall either. A loud splash was heard as Nef hit the water and exploded.

"No! Damn you!" Glenn cursed under his breath as water and some pieces of metal poured down on him. Chopper rolled into the sand and quickly jumped up and away from the ocean water. Still, by the huge explosion, he was hit by water and weakened.

"Ah!" Chopper, now small again, went to his knees. As he looked up, he was greeted by a surprise. Glenn was wet, too, and struggled to stand on his legs. 'That's right,' Chopper thought, grinning slightly, ' He's a devil-fruit user too!'

But Glenn was furious. His anger pushed him forward, and he lifted his hands as he neared the poor breathless reindeer. "I'm going to kill you, just like your stupid companion!" And suddenly, another huge plant appeared before Chopper.

"Eh?" Chopper gasped; he didn't have the strength to stand up anymore.

His glance flew to Glenn as he heard him shout in pain all of sudden. Chopper gasped again, but this time in happiness as he spotted someone hovering over Glenn now.

"Who's the dead companion you were speaking of?" Sanji asked, already lighting a new cigarette.

"SANJI!" Chopper shrieked in joy, tears now running freely. "I-I thought you were dead! Waaah!"

Sanji smiled, and turned to Glenn who recovered from the strong kick he'd received.

"How the hell did you manage to free yourself?" Glenn wiped the blood from his mouth.

Sanji blew out some smoke, unfazed by Glenn's anger. "Well, I guess your plants don't deal well with seawater, you wannabe botanist." He smirked.

Glenn growled at the insult. "What?"

"Of course!" Chopper piped up, still kneeling on the ground in exhaustion, "The explosion splashed water everywhere after all."

"Damn this all! I will not lose against you! Blackleg-Sanji and pet Chopper, you're under arrest!" Glenn screamed loudly as fear and anger mixed. A huge plant which seemed to have arms and sharp leaves began to grow before Glenn. Sanji raised an eyebrow at this and sighed.

"You don't know when to stop, do you?" With that, he began to spin himself around rapidly until his right leg gleamed. "I know another weakness of plants..." Sanji jumped into the air, "Fire."

"Wh-what?" Glenn shivered, ducking behind his giant plant but to no avail. Chopper cheered loudly as Sanji's burning leg crashed into the huge plant and sent it into the 'botanist'. Glenn was out like a light as his now burning creation hit his head, hard.

"We did it!" Chopper squealed in delight.

YXYXYXYXYXYXYX

"What the hell-?" Ace growled under his breath and jumped back. Was this guy serious?

"You heard me, Fire Fist!" Den said weakly. He was bleeding in various places and had numerous burns on his body, but still wouldn't give up.

Ace frowned. There was a huge gas ball surrounding Den and Ace knew if he stepped closer with his fire body, he would cause a huge explosion.

"Now you won't attack anymore, will you? Scared of me and my gas?" Den laughed but it sounded more like a dying cat in his weakened state.

"As if!" Ace shot back, still angry as hell. "You deserve to be blown up after you dared to disrespect my father Whitebeard like that! In front of his grave... you asshole!"

Den seemed to hesitate for a moment, but quickly shook off his fear. "You're just bluffing! You'll die too if you try to blow me up!"

And suddenly, Ace said something that made Den gasp in shock. He grinned. "In times like these... if you sail the ocean and fight in order to be free, then you have to be prepared for your own death!" And with that said, Ace's body began to glow as he charged at Den.

Luffy, who had managed to glance away from Rube's lifeless face, gasped in shock. Instantly, he knew what Ace was doing. He shot up and dashed towards his brother, trying desperately to stop him.

"ACE, NO!" But it was already too late. Den exploded together with his gas and Ace. A deafening noise rang through the air, and Luffy was blown away.

As the sight cleared and all the smoke had vanished, Luffy stumbled to his feet, feeling a bit disorientated. He blinked a few times to shake the dizziness when something hit him like a tidal wave. His face paled and he whirled around, eyes darting through the area.

It looked like a huge cannon ball had hit. The ground was brown and the plants around them were burned. Luckily, Whitebeard's huge grave had been out of range and was still in one piece. Ace would never have forgiven himself if it had been damaged.

"ACE!" Luffy's shout rang through the air and an awful feeling of dread settled in the pitch of his stomach. Was he...? Not him, too!

"Ace! Ace, you damn-!" Luffy ran around but there was no trace of his brother. "I-it can't be..."

A sob escaped his throat and Luffy sank to his knees as he pressed a hand to his mouth.

"What the hell are you crying for, idiot?" An all too familiar voice caused Luffy to shoot around.

"Ace!" Luffy cried out and launched himself at his big brother. Ace was perfectly fine, save for the scratches and hits he'd received earlier.

"I-I thouwght ywou died, Awee~!" Luffy cried and sobbed into his shoulder.

Ace wanted to push his brother off as a sudden déjà vu hit him. "Baka! Don't just kill people off!" Ace said again, just like back then, but this time he laughed. Luffy continued to clutch onto him for dear life. The older of the two playfully slapped at his shoulder, still grinning.

"I promised not to die, didn't I? And I won't, Luffy. I will never leave you."

**YXYXYXYXYXYXYX**

**Aw, gotta luv Ace! :D**

**At first I wanted to end this chapter with a cliffhanger, but then decided against it. That would have been too mean, wouldn't it? ^^**

**Did I make you curious about the Ixion-group's strange boss? Well, the mystery will be solved together with the mystery of the Government's past! It all lies in the forgotten century, which will be explained in later chapters. But please be patient until then ;)**

**Anyways, hope you liked this one, and pretty please leave a review for me! They motivate the author more than you may think!**

**Until next time,**

**Neko11**


	13. Having someone right beside you

**Hey ho! :D Did anyone notice the picture I drew for this story? Well, it's supposed to be Ace and Luffy xD Anyways, I'm really grateful for the kind reviews I got, thanks!**

**roo17: Aw, that's so nice to hear^-^ Yeah, I randomly decided to throw another mystery into the mix, I just couldn't help it xD I know, right? Haha that's Ace for ya ;D Chopper's strong :D Well, don't say that! The idea of the robot just popped up in my mind while I wrote the last chapter, so it wasn't really planned^^ You think so? Good to hear, thanks :D Ahehehe..well...-scratches head- you see, I, ehm, needed to make him cry 'cause he cried when he first thought Ace had died too (when he was ten & Luffy was seven).. you know? ^^'' Well, I won't say anything, it's just that I've already planned how the story will end so... maybe you'll like the ending? (I hope so xD). Well it's gonna take some time until the nightmare mystery will be solved.. sorry^^ Thank you! Here you go! ;)**

**KTDLover: Yeah, they're awesome ;D Thanks a lot, great to hear! =D**

**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka: (Awesome name, forgive me if I got it wrong D:): You know what's funny? Yesterday I just dreamed of Sabo, Ace and Luffy meeting again! It's an omen! :D Well, maybe... -laughs evilly- ahem, well, I won't reveal anything! Thanks for reviewing =D **

**Lenighma: Pretty damn sad, I have to admit... please keep on reading :) **

**Son of Whitebeard: Yes, there will be something 'bout them too. Actually, I thought of an explanation of what could've happened during the lost century and what One Piece exactly is.**

**Minako1013: Thanky you so much again! :)**

**Thanks guys! =) Also thanks a lot to Silver Shadowbreeze, my great beta reader!**

**Disclaimer: One Piece does not belong to me!**

**YXYXYXYXYYXYX**

**Chapter 13: "Having someone right beside you"**

_"I promised not to die, didn't I? And I won't, Luffy. I will never leave you."_

Luffy gulped as he heard this. Ace _had_ promised, and Luffy was sure he would keep his promise no matter what. He could trust Ace. Why couldn't he just believe in his brother? Luffy sobbed. Then the eighteen-year-old boy looked up to his brother with teary eyes and snot running from his nose. "I know...! I know that, but still... I was so scared!"

Ace sighed, but the smile never left his face. With a lot of effort he finally managed to push his brother off him. "Seriously, Luffy, I thought you weren't such a crybaby anymore!"

The reaction came immediately. As if there had never been a tear leaving his eye, Luffy jumped up with his hands balled to fists, baring his teeth. "I'm not, damn it!"

The Fire Fist had to laugh at this and didn't bother replying. He knew Luffy was no crybaby, but he just loved to tease him. Just as Ace was going to say something about going back and search for the others, Luffy gasped. Ace looked at him with his eyebrow raised.

"Oh damn it! Sanji and Chopper are in danger! I need to check on them!" Luffy turned around and wanted to make a mad dash to the shore, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Ace, let go, they-"

"Luffy, would you calm down first?" Ace clasped a hand over his brother's mouth to shut him up. "What the hell did we train for? Use your haki for once."

He felt Luffy's mouth form an 'O'. Ace chuckled deeply. His little brother could be so dense sometimes.

Luffy closed his eyes for a moment and tried to concentrate. His brows knitted together and he frowned. Seconds later, his worries were erased and a smile danced upon his lips. His eyes opened again and he looked at Ace with determination in his eyes. "They're alright. I can hear their voices clearly."

Ace sighed. "See? No reason for you to freak out. They're strong, you know."

"Yeah, I know that, but-" Luffy paused for a second, the smile fading. For a moment, it looked like he was searching for the right words.

"Well, since the day I lost most of my nakama, I just can't seem to leave you or Sanji or Chopper alone. I feel like panicking and there's this feeling of dread in my stomach. It's weird, but I always want to keep an eye on you. I'm... scared of what might happen if I'm looking away for even a moment. And... I'm really scared that I would regret the moment I'm not there to protect for the rest of my life." Luffy added and it was barely a whisper. Ace managed to catch it and slowly, he ran a hand through Luffy's hair affectionately.

Ace was at a loss for words. For the first time Luffy had said openly that he had _lost his nakama_ instead of using the term 'since _that_ day'. Luffy seemed to be getting stronger every day. During the first weeks after the war, Ace had thought he'd never see his little brother smiling again. Now Monkey D. Luffy had overcome their death, accepted it and learned that the world would still turn without them, no matter how painful it may be. It really set Ace's mind at ease to see Luffy like this. He was feeling proud, so very proud, that his brother couldn't be fazed so easily, even after all that had happened. Luffy knew that there was a special purpose to being alive, and that he just had to keep on running straight ahead.

However, what amazed Ace even more was the fact that Luffy was speaking with him in all honesty. Of course, Luffy had always been an honest and innocent person who wasn't ashamed to speak the truth. But still, Ace hadn't expected Luffy to admit the fact he was scared so easily. Ace's respect for his brother would have grown if it were possible, since Ace already held the highest amount of respect for Luffy.

Luffy's tensed shoulders seemed to relax a little, and Ace thought of what he could say to reassure him. Before he could open his mouth though, Luffy spoke again, and it threw Ace off guard.

"But then... I shouldn't be such a worrywart... they trained a lot, too, right? We all got stronger; we are so strong that nothing will ever beat us down again!" And Luffy flashed him the biggest grin he could manage.

"Well...can't argue with that," Ace murmured, grinning back.

"Still, I wanna meet up with them now. These guys were kinda weird... and maybe the others know more about their strange boss," Luffy trailed off, his glance wandering to the still form of Rube. "I've got a feeling... that we'll meet this boss soon..."

Ace didn't understand anything Luffy was murmuring under his breath. Did he miss something? "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Luffy shook his head and smiled at him again. "Ah, never mind. I'll tell ya later. You've got someone to visit before we leave, right?" Luffy motioned at Whitebeard's grave.

Ace didn't need to follow Luffy's outstretched arm to understand what his brother meant by that. The older one's face grew a tad darker, and he looked to the ground as if being scared of talking to his father.

Luffy patted him gently on the shoulder, smiling reassuringly. "Say goodbye to him. We'll be waiting for you at the ship."

Ace didn't answer, waiting until he was sure Luffy was gone. Then he turned around slowly, as if afraid the gravestone would be gone if he turned around too fast. He inhaled deeply, tasted the sweet air around him, and sat cross-legged on the ground. He stared at his father's grave, reading the name that was engraved in the stone.

_Edward Newgate_.

An eternity seemed to pass before Ace began to move. His expression blank, he closed his eyes to the silent gravestone; then he put his hands on the ground and bowed slowly. Staying in that position, Ace swore to himself that he would never look at this gravestone again. He wanted to remember his father as a strong and proud man and not as a simple cold stone with a name on it.

_'Thank you, father.'_

Finally, Ace let loose his emotions and cried.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXYX**

"Ixion Group?"

"Yeah, that's their name. Recently, I've read a few articles about them in the newspaper." Sanji said, blowing smoke into the air.

"I've heard about them, too! They were quite famous." Chopper agreed. Then he looked at Luffy. "But I have no idea about the boss you were talking about... I wonder who he is."

"I have no idea. Though, this Rube guy said I've met him before." Luffy answered and the other two were a bit surprised by his strange behavior. This thoughtful look rarely crossed Luffy's features, and when it did it looked awfully out of place. Were those bounty hunters really bothering him that much?

Sanji nodded slowly. "Apparently, their boss, whoever he is, wanted you and Ace dead no matter what. He won't be amused if he finds out the Ixion group failed in their task. I guess this guy will cross our paths sooner or later."

Luffy placed his hat on his head. "Hopefully. I want to kick his ass for treating his subordinates like that- enemy or not!"

Chopper and Sanji smiled slightly. It was good to see that their energetic and self-confident captain hadn't changed a bit. The cook's features hardened a bit. "Well, that aside, do you think your brother is okay?"

Luffy sighed heavily. Then, he turned to them, grinning. "We will make sure he is when he returns!"

**YXYXYXYXYXYXYX**

Ace sighed and ran a hand through his messy black hair. He stood in front of the Thousand Sunny, glancing upwards. It was already dark and the stars glistened beautifully in the sky. Ace had no idea how long he'd been gone; probably for hours. What if Luffy was worried? Nah, Luffy knew there was no reason for him to worry about his big brother.

What was he waiting for? Ace didn't know why he hesitated to return. Happy laughter rang through the air and got carried away by the wind. It sounded as if the other three were having a huge party. Maybe he would only bother them; he shouldn't interrupt.

Gracefully, he jumped aboard and made his way to the men's quarters. Sleeping sounded really tempting right now. Just as he was about to enter the night quarters, the kitchen door swung open with force. Sanji stepped out, or rather he wobbled out, and grinned at him.

"Hey there! Wanna come in?" He offered friendly. Ace wanted to decline, but he couldn't say no to Sanji. He followed Sanji into the kitchen. Luffy and Chopper were sitting at the table, chatting noisily, but looked up as Ace entered.

"Hi Ace!" They greeted in unison and grinned, sincerely happy to see him.

"Yo," Ace said, lifting a hand in greeting. "Are you okay?" he asked. Chopper had a few bandages and band-aids here and there, but altogether he seemed fine. Luffy's scratches on his arms, legs and face were all visible but he didn't want any band-aids to bother him. The blond cook didn't have any visible bandages.

"Yeah, everyone's just fine, don't worry." Sanji said, snipping his burnt out cigarette carelessly over his shoulder. Inwardly, Ace sighed in relief. Deep down he had known no one had been seriously hurt, but having it confirmed calmed him.

"Sit down, Ace, so that we can continue our celebrating!" Luffy said and patted the chair next to him.

"Celebrating? What for?" Ace asked, slightly confused but still amused by the scene.

Luffy grinned. "We're all alive. That's reason enough to celebrate, right? Shishishi!"

Sanji, Chopper and Luffy 'Kampai-ed at this, all laughing as if Luffy had made a huge joke. Ace blinked but found his lips twitching upwards unintentionally. Leave it to the three remaining strawhats to turn a heavy atmosphere into such a cheerful mood. Amused, he shook his head and decided to stay with them for a bit instead of going to sleep.

"Guess you're right. Is there still some sake for me, or do I have to celebrate with milk?" Ace joked, grabbing a mug of alcohol and downing it in one gulp. Despite the laughter and the happiness that filled the air, he still felt a bit down. He just couldn't forget the fact that Whitebeard, the great pirate, his _father_, had left this world...

"What are you doing all alone in that corner, Ace?" Chopper slurred slightly, smiling sweetly at Ace.

"That's right, join us!" Sanji said, grinning and lifting his mug. It was obvious the three were already quite drunk.

"Yeah! Cheer up! If life gives you bitter cocoa beans, take 'em and make a sweet hot chocolate! Or was it coffee...?" Laughter filled the room and to Ace it seemed brighter than any rays of the sun could ever shine.

Luffy, giggling, didn't wait for an answer and just dragged his brother to the huge kitchen table. "No one has to be alone here, so drink with us together!" He said, laughing.

Before Ace could complain, he found himself directly in between Chopper and Luffy. Sanji re-filled his mug and the other three lifted theirs high in the air.

"To Whitebeard!" Luffy cheered, using the late Yonkou's pirate name for once.

Ace smiled. "To Whitebeard!" He agreed and touched glasses with his other nakama.

Ace was there because he wanted to show the world he'd never give up, and to carry on Whitebeard's will. He wanted to see Luffy achieving his dream with his own eyes. He was young, and he wanted to change the world like his father Whitebeard did. He wanted to know what happened during the Lost Century. He wanted to see the rest of the New World and discover One Piece and wanted to have a lot of adventures.

Ace just wanted to live.

He was a member of this crew, an important nakama. And Sanji, Chopper and Luffy were his family.

**~YXYXYXYXY~**

Later, just as the others had fallen asleep in the kitchen, Ace silently made his way to the deck. He inhaled the cool, salty ocean breeze and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he leaned onto the railing and gazed upwards. The stars glistened beautifully in the dark sky.

'Like frozen teardrops', Ace thought, smiling sadly. He sighed.

The moment of peace was quickly destroyed as his little brother suddenly showed up out of nowhere.

"Hey- yo, Ace!" Luffy giggled, not realizing Ace had been enjoying a moment on his own. Luffy approached the other and slapped his back. "Watcha doin'?"

Ace rolled his eyes at Luffy. "You're drunk." He stated bluntly to which Luffy only nodded happily.

"Yosh~!"

Ace raised an eyebrow but decided not to reply to this. Instead, he stared up at the stars again. "I'm watching the night sky."

Luffy had to lean in to his brother to catch it. "Ah." He answered intelligently, sitting down on the railing beside Ace. After a few minutes of peaceful silence, Luffy spoke again.

"Do you remember what you told me about the stars?" he asked. Ace turned to Luffy in wonder, then suddenly he smiled gently.

"You mean about your nakama watching you from up there?"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah. I believe that your fathers are up there watching, too."

Ace narrowed his eyes. "My _fathers_?" Did Luffy mean... Whitebeard and the good-for-nothing _Roger_ when he spoke about his _fathers?_

"Yups! Oh!" Luffy pointed into the sky, "I bet this star is Whitebeard! It's huge and it's the brightest of them all!"

Ace's train of thoughts was interrupted and he blinked, following Luffy's finger. Then he snorted and whacked Luffy upside the head. "Luffy you baka, that's the moon!"

His little brother pouted, rubbing the sore area on his head. "Bleh! I don't care! It still could be old man Whitebeard!"

Ace made an annoyed noise, but secretly he liked the thought of his father Whitebeard being up there... maybe he was watching at this very moment? No matter if what he watched was the moon or a star, it made Ace happy.

"Well, I'll go to bed. I'm tired." And as if to proof his point, a huge yawn followed and Luffy rubbed his eyes. "'Night, Ace!" With that said, he gave Ace one last tired smile and went straight to the men's quarters.

"Night, Luffy." He whispered as he watched Luffy's back. He put his face on his hand, looking at the bright moon again.

Somehow, Ace missed the old days when Luffy was still a little weakling following him everywhere. But these days were gone, Luffy had grown up nicely. There wasn't a trace of that weakling anymore. Luffy would go his own way now, and it was Ace who followed him everywhere... always watching a strong back from behind, just like Luffy watched his brother's back.

Having someone weak walking right behind him had always kept Ace going. But having someone strong walking right before him made him believe in life.

Ace continued to sit on the deck and simply look up. His mind was filled with wonder. It was surprising, and maybe a little weird, too, how Luffy always managed to make you feel better by his very presence. It was as if there was a positive aura radiating off him.

Ace frowned slightly. Yes, there was something special about Luffy; it was as if he had a hidden power that was yet to awaken. A power that had only showed a glimpse of its true strength and of what it's truly capable of. Maybe it was this power that drew people to Luffy and made them believe in him...

Ace shook his head. "I'm thinking too much." He decided.

Meanwhile, Luffy walked out of the men's quarters again and headed straight for the kitchen. He didn't want to be in a dark room all alone when his two nakama were sleeping in the kitchen. That's why he decided to lie himself down under the kitchen table and listen to their constant snoring.

Just as he was about to enter, Luffy's glance went to his brother again. Ace didn't notice. The younger of the two turned away and went inside, smiling brightly. He loved his brother. What would he be without Ace? Nothing.

Because having Ace always standing right beside him gave him enough courage to walk on.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXYX**

**The weirdest thing happened to me yesterday. I just re-read the chapter in which Ace died, and suddenly they played ' I just died in your arms tonight' on the radio. Oh the irony~ D:**

**Anyways, thanks for reading! Please leave a review, they make the world go round! :D**

**Neko11**


	14. Thoughts and a new adventure?

**Hey guys! I wanted to thank you all for supporting me so much! I'm really happy to see my readers enjoy this story, that's so great!**

**roo17: -blushes-Thanks! :3 I don't think I'm that good but I love to draw, so well^-^I'm glad you thought it was cute! :D Yeah, I found it pretty sad that Ace hated Roger so much. Aw, thank you! Ah, sorry for causing a bad feeling^^'' That's so kind of you, thanks! Your reviews always make MY morning! :D Have a wonderful day too~ =)**

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**Pls enjoy this chapter, it's for all those kind people who made my day for reviewing! :)**

**Special thanks to Silver Shadowbreeze for beta'ing!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**YYXYXYXYXYXYXY**

**Chapter 14: Thoughts and a new adventure?**

A few weeks had passed since the incident with the Ixion group. Much to the crew's delight, Ace seemed in high spirits. Luffy was more than happy about that; truth be told, if Ace had dropped into a depression, then Luffy would have been totally lost. He would have had no clue as how to cheer him up.

Once Ace was down, as in _really _depressed, he tended to turn all the sadness and anger to himself . He'd blame and tear himself apart until there was nothing left of him, because there was a part in his body, in his soul, that Ace could not and would not forgive. That part was Roger's blood. Apparently, though, and against everything Luffy and the others had feared, Ace had won against that part. Maybe... there was a chance of not only him healing from deep wounds, but Ace's deepest and oldest wound also healing? Luffy didn't know, but he knew one thing: he'd do _everything_ to support Ace from now on.

However, Ace wasn't the only concern Luffy was wracking his brain about. Of course, Luffy hated thinking so much, but he just couldn't help it. What had happened at Sabaody Archipelago a year ago showed him that sometimes life didn't work the way you wanted or planned. Quite the opposite; life hardly went as planned. Or maybe it _did_ follow a plan. Luffy wasn't blind nor was he stupid. He'd known about this for a long time, but this incident had made it painfully obvious.

The disaster also told him that you just couldn't get out of some situations in one piece if you just relied on your own luck and strength. Some things in life could be avoided beforehand, but you had to use your brain for that. And that's what Luffy was doing, or at least trying to do. He didn't want to run away from hard situations, but he didn't intend on running straight into one he couldn't control either.

If only he could figure out who this ominous boss of the Ixion group was! Rube told him he'd already met him... Luffy's brows furrowed in thought, and he pulled his hand up for support. He began to count on his fingers; in his mind he went through all the people he met on his journey. Thumb, Alvida. Immediately, the strawhat boy halted and he tried to imagine the fat-turned-skinny lady with her ridiculously huge mace in front of the Ixion group, smiling cruelly. Her mouth opened, and she whispered: _'I'm gonna get ya, mugiwara.'_

Luffy's eyes snapped open and he couldn't suppress the shudder that went down his spine. No way. No frigging way. Besides, Alvida may have been a pain in the butt, but she never was a real threat to him. She was too weak to be the leader of such dangerous bounty hunters. Though, some men reacted funny in her presence, maybe...

Luffy forced himself not to end that thought. He didn't know why but he got the arbitrary feeling that it was definitely NOT her but someone _really_ strong. Someone he should better not cross paths with... some _miscreant_. Shaking his head, he shooed that thought away. That would lead nowhere.

Well, who came next? Luffy sighed, pressing two fingers against his forehead in deep concentration. Crap, he was beginning to get a headache. Thinking really wasn't his thing! Suddenly, the eighteen-years-old blinked, an idea forming in his mind. What if...?

That moment, Ace walked across the deck. Well, walking wasn't the right word; Ace _strode_ to the mast, trying to ignore everything around him. He was not in the mood to talk to anyone right now, not this early in the morning. Not after what he'd dreamed about again... However, Ace was in for a surprise as he spotted his little brother lying on the figurehead, staring into the still dark sky. What the...? Ace could've sworn he was the only one up, and he definitely hadn't expected to see Luffy of all people! Maybe Sanji, the cook sometimes had to get up early to prepare the breakfast, but his little brother? That was new to Ace.

But there was something about Luffy that really shocked Ace: The pensive look upon his face. Since when did Luffy take his time to think about something? It was completely unnatural for him to waste his energy for _thoughts_. For a moment, Ace's throat felt as if someone was trying to suffocate him with a nylon rope. Was Luffy thinking about his nakama again...?

His worries were cut short as Luffy noticed his presence. The younger one's expression turned 180 degrees and he smiled happily, jumping up to greet his brother.

"Hey Ace! What are you doing up so early?" Luffy asked, wearing such a big smile that Ace wondered why he had been worrying earlier. Luffy couldn't lie even if he tried. Ace could tell Luffy was sincerely happy. A feeling of great relief passed through him before he finally answered a bit gruffly, "Well, I could ask you the same thing."

Luffy blinked as if he'd just realized he was actually up early too, and then he grinned again. "Oh, that's right!" A short laugh followed and then Luffy continued. "Well, I couldn't really sleep and that's why I decided to get up and talk to old man Whitebeard! But he wasn't here when I went out, so I just lay on my special place."

Ace's face blanched a tad."Did you have nightmares again?" He asked carefully. Luffy didn't answer immediately, but he avoided his glance and that was answer enough for Ace.

"...Yeah. But it's okay now." Luffy answered, not as loud as before. Ace wanted to say something but Luffy beat him to it. "Anyways, I was thinking about this Ixion group and their mystery leader and all."

Ace raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised Luffy could remember that name. But he wasn't in a very good mood, so he bit his tongue to not reply with anything mischievous. Sensing Ace wouldn't say anything, Luffy continued, a victorious smile on his face.

"I figured out their leader's name!" Luffy exclaimed proudly and this time, both Ace's eyebrows rose so high they almost reached his hairline. Then Ace's rationality took over again and he narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure? Who is it then?"

Luffy's grin didn't falter. "Buggy of course!"

For a moment, Ace wasn't sure as how to react. Was Luffy trying to pull a prank on him? Nah, surely not. He must be serious. Ace nearly groaned but managed to suppress it. Then he decided not to grace that with an answer and just turned around, shaking his head and sighing deeply. Luffy blinked as his brother sat down and leaned against the mast, a nearly blank expression upon his face. But Luffy couldn't be fooled that easily, he saw the discomfort in his brother's eyes immediately.

"What's wrong?" Luffy said, the grin long gone. Somehow, his bro was acting really weird this morning. Ace shifted around uncomfortably, then he shook his head.

"Nothing. I just need to think about stuff. Why don't go and wake Sanji? He'll prepare you some meat and you can talk to him about this strange group and their leader." Ace answered after a while. Luffy suddenly felt like he was shut out from his brother. It was weird. Ace hardly was this... distant. What on earth was the matter with him?

"Is it about old man Whitebeard?" Luffy just wanted to know, completely serious by now. Ace frowned.

"No." Luffy could tell Ace was honest with this, but he still wanted to know what was on the other's mind. Before he could ask any further, Ace gestured to the kitchen, urging Luffy to leave him alone with his glance. The younger one got the hint and decided that he shouldn't interrogate further– at least for now. Ace looked like he hadn't slept that well with those dark circles under his eyes. Besides, if he wanted to talk about something with Luffy, he'd come to him when he was ready to do so. Or maybe Ace just wanted to sort things out himself this time. Whatever it was, Luffy was sure he could trust his older brother.

"Okay." Luffy said and it sounded slightly disappointed. Ace frowned a bit at the slight feeling of regret to shoo his brother away like that, but this was something he needed to think of alone.

Luffy put on his trademark grin and turned around, shouting an excited sounding, "Meat!" and began to storm off to the men's quarters.

"Luffy..?" Ace said and Luffy thought it had sounded almost shy. He shook his head. What a ridiculous thought. Ace, shy? Impossible!

Curious, Luffy stopped in his movement and turned to Ace. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

Luffy looked at Ace for five seconds that seemed like five minutes to Ace. "...Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" Luffy finally said and it sounded genuinely flabbergasted. Ace couldn't blame him though, he knew he was behaving rather odd at the moment.

"...Never mind." Ace dropped the matter and closed his eyes, signaling the conversation was over. Luffy watched his elder brother for another two seconds with a blank expression, then he shrugged and went to wake Sanji.

Ace breathed a sigh of relief as Luffy finally disappeared behind the door. He hated it when he was in this kind of mood, but it couldn't be helped. Ace had barely slept after he'd had such a weird dream again. This time -thank kami-sama, it didn't involve bloody tears but the image of a thoroughly upset Luffy was terrifying enough. He could still hear the echoes of his brother's voice lingering in his ears.

"_Why did this have to happen?"_

Why had _what_ to happen? Ace had absolutely no idea about the meaning of those... dreams. Ace didn't dare to call them visions, because that meant they would come true sooner or later. That was something the logia user couldn't accept. He couldn't do that to his brother; whatever _that_ was. He just knew it wasn't good. What if these warnings really came true some day? Ace wasn't concerned about his own death, not in the least. But he had promised both Sabo and Luffy to stay alive as long as he could,"and that was a promise he couldn't afford to break.

Even with two of his nakama around, Ace wasn't sure if Luffy could take another huge loss. Ace knew how much Luffy adored him… thought of him as someone who just could not die- invincible. Ace had promised he wouldn't die, so that meant he wouldn't. It was a ridiculous thought, but it was so Luffy-like. That was how Luffy's logic worked; simple yet understandable. If Luffy would open his eyes and face the truth that Ace was just flesh and blood, that he was just human and certainly not _invulnerable_, then he would be even more careful and concerned for his well-being. Luffy would just regard Ace as someone he had to protect no matter what. How was the strawhat boy supposed to become the Pirate King if he had to permanently look out for Ace just to make sure he was always safe?

Hit by a sudden wave of determination, Ace clenched his jaw and jumped up at once. He crossed his arms and put on a defiant expression. Who was he to believe in such stupid things? He wasn't a medium or something, he was a pirate. And a pirate decided his own fate! Whether these dreams had special meanings to them or not, it didn't matter, Ace would not let destiny do whatever it had in mind with him. It was _his_ life. He would fight and win, 'cause he was one of Whitebeard's sons, and goddammit, he was _strong_!

Exhaling a deep breath Ace hadn't realized he'd been holding, a huge grin formed on his lips. Yeah, that felt good. Why hadn't he thought of that earlier? It was so easy! He shouldn't always worry and think so much. They were just dreams, and he couldn't care less about such things. Whatever was standing in his way, he'd blaze it away.

Ace cocky grin turned into a soft smile. He'd blaze it away and protect his little brother and he would _live_.

His peaceful moment was ruined by a loud shout of "Don't _BUGGY_ me at five o'clock in the damn morning!" followed by a girly shriek and sounds of things being thrown. Ace facepalmed. Of course Luffy wouldn't wake Sanji too kindly. He chuckled slightly. Some things would never change, huh?

~**YXYXYXYX**~

A few hours later (the Buggy-file finally closed after a _long_ discussion, much to the crew's relief), the four friends were sitting or lying on deck, trying to kill time with playing cards. According to the log pose around Ace's wrist, the next island was near but it would still take about one or two days to reach it.

The weather wasn't hot but it was warm enough to be outside and enjoy the sun; the sea was calm for once and there wasn't a single sea king or any other living creature in sight. The Strawhats weren't used to these peaceful conditions anymore and now that absolutely nothing was happening, they felt bored out of their mind. Since when was the New World this calm?

Suddenly, a frustrated howl echoed over the place. "Aaargh, damn it!" Luffy had lost the fourth round of poker again and the others chuckled, amused by his reaction. Luffy was a terrible card player. He just didn't have the talent to keep a cool poker face. His twitching lip that tried desperately to move upwards into smile and the sweat on his face always gave him away.

Having enough of this 'stupid, unfair card game', he got up and leaned over the railing, a deep pout on his face. Sanji and Chopper looked at each other and grinned. Casually, Ace made a comment about how Luffy once tried to eat the chessmen because he had always lost against him, and the three of them erupted into hysterical laughter.

"That was the first and only time I saw Luffy getting an upset stomach. Oh boy, he never got near a chess board EVER again. I don't think he forgave his stomach for betraying him, either." Ace chuckled, wiping away his tears of laughter. The other two laughed along with him, the mere image of Luffy eating chessmen was absolutely priceless.

Ace grinned at them. He loved how Luffy's nakama were such a happy bunch. Every time Sanji would spot a pretty woman and drool all over her, Ace would freak out with laughter. Also, he got the feeling that he and Chopper had a similar idea of humor as him, and some evenings they would sit together and just tell jokes or funny stories from their pasts. By now, Ace felt fully integrated into this crew. He was a Strawhat pirate, just like Chopper and Sanji.

Actually, those two felt like two younger cousins to Ace already, and he enjoyed their company a lot. At the same time, both the reindeer and the cook liked Ace and his calm attitude. He was the complete opposite of Luffy, the always loud and bouncing Luffy who didn't even know how to spell the word '_manners_'.

Ace was quiet, clever, composed and easy to get along with. And he knew how to navigate well. Of course, he wasn't a replacement for Nami. No one could ever replace any of their nakama and they wouldn't even _think_ of it. Plus, Ace wasn't as good as Nami's been. Regardless, they were in safe hands; Ace seemed to know the sea and the weather's moods perfectly.

However, this was no reason for Luffy to feel left out or neglected. The other three loved him and he loved them; simple as that. Luffy was part of them. They were just like one big happy family... only that the 'mother' was male and a narcoleptic pyromaniac, and the 'father' was a noodle-dancing, sometimes short-tempered cook with a curly eyebrow. Not to mention the two 'sons', one rubber ball full of undying energy, the other a blue-nosed reindeer-doctor who had the ability to speak. A funny mix but they went along rather well.

As Luffy half lay slumped over the railing to cast a bored glance to the horizon, he suddenly got the feeling that there was something out there. Something big. He could sense it. Perking up his ears, he stood upright and the bored look was long gone. Instead, Luffy looked pretty serious and as if in concentration, staring straight ahead. "Nani? What's this?" he murmured more to himself but Chopper's sharp ears caught it.

"Eh? What's the matter, Luffy?" he asked innocently, but there was slight concern swinging in his voice. Sanji and Ace stopped in their movements and looked up, clueless.

"What is it?" They asked nearly simultaneously. Luffy waited for another three seconds to make sure whatever there was wasn't just his imagination. Then, he started to speak without turning around and the others realized that something was up. They quickly joined him at the railing, squinting their eyes as Luffy spoke.

"I don't know what it is, but it must be huge." Luffy said, a bit irritated. Then he began to smile and the others groaned inwardly. That was the typical I-smell-adventure-look and it automatically meant trouble for them.

"A sea king?" Sanji suggested, trying to ignore Luffy's excitement. Ace shook his head, frowning deeply but never taking his eyes off the vast ocean.

"I don't think so. Whatever we are nearing, it's not a living creature," he said self-confidently. Sanji took a long draft of his cigarette, and after a minute or two he realized Ace was right. The cook's haki wasn't bad, but he still couldn't surpass the logia user's haki.

"What is it?" Chopper asked, stretching to see over the railing. Ace smiled and picked the little doctor up to sit him down, then his glance wandered back ahead. "We don't know either. But we should prepare for the worst."

The others couldn't argue with that and began to move around the ship. They made sure to secure anything loose like barrels and crates, took care of the sails and Chopper quickly put the cards inside. After that, they were forced to wait anxiously for something to happen. This was weird. Their log pose was pointing into the other direction stubbornly and even Ace couldn't make sense of it.

"What the hell is this? I still can't see anything." Sanji said and lit his third cigarette in the past thirty minutes. He didn't like this feeling. The whole situation was practically screaming TRAP at them. Still, he didn't voice his thoughts out loud. Ace was probably thinking along the same lines.

"Yeah... that's pretty weird." Luffy agreed but didn't say anything about turning around. Instead, he continued to grin at the next adventure that was surely waiting for them. Sanji just didn't know if he wanted to be welcomed by an adventure with long, sharp teeth.

"M-maybe we shouldn't sail there... Luffy." Chopper asked timidly, not wanting to face the thing with the sharp teeth either. Luffy shook his head quickly, his messy hair flying in all directions.

"Don't be a scaredy-reindeer! Finally something to do! This is going to be so much fun!" Luffy laughed and the others didn't bother to reply. Chopper just managed a shaky smile. He was trying to believe Luffy but his instincts told him to turn around and run.

They continued to sail towards the invisible-whatever-it-was, until a strong current took hold of them and nearly threw them off their feet.

"Woah!" Luffy laughed. "Yahoo!"

"Idiot!" Sanji barked. "We have to do something!"

"Sanji's right! Either we go straight ahead and take a close look at the thing, or we just let the current lead us back to our old curse." Ace said and it nearly freaked Chopper out how calm the other was.

Sanji suddenly grinned, a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "So, what do you say, captain?"

Luffy's grin was wiped off his face and he nearly got a cramp in his hands, so hard was he clutching the railing. Had Sanji just called him _captain_? Numerous emotions were floating through him so fast Luffy was unable to decide whether he should feel confused, surprised, shocked, dismayed, horrified or just completely appalled. Probably, he felt a mix between all of them and was too taken aback to get his mouth to work. Captain. Somehow, he felt a little scared to be a captain.

He always wanted to be one, a really proud pirate captain, to keep the promise he'd made with Shanks. But he just didn't feel like being able to take over the role of a leader. Well, leader didn't sound so bad; but _captain_ sounded awful. How was he supposed to be a captain after what happened? He felt ashamed, furious and unbelievable sad at the same time. He wasn't a good captain. He wasn't worth the title of a captain. Though, as this thought crossed his mind, he cringed slightly. Zoro would be so angry if he knew this... he'd probably threaten to cut him in two if he ever dared to say something stupid like that again.

Luffy thought of all his nakama who had entrusted their lives in his hands and had confidently called him their captain. He thought of how he failed them all and how they all died because he as a captain wasn't strong enough. How he always told them not to worry, everything would be fine. Should he really dare to take this step again and be a captain?

This all happened in less than one minute, but to the other three it seemed like an eternity. They all could see the battle Luffy was having, how he was struggling. They saw his clenched jaw and the reindeer was scared Luffy would bit his tongue off. As hard as it may seem for Luffy and the rest of them, they all knew they couldn't push this matter aside forever. This problem got to be solved, rather sooner than later. And now seemed a perfect moment; Luffy couldn't run away or try to shake it off now.

"...Luffy?" Chopper voiced quietly, bringing Luffy out of his thoughts. His shoulders relaxed for a while, much to everyone's surprise, and then he turned around. They all expected him to be smiling brightly and tell them something like 'Of course straight ahead, idiot!', but he wasn't.

Luffy turned to them, a thoughtful expression wearing, and then he gave them a short nod, as if to acknowledge the fact he _was_ their captain. Ace, Sanji and Chopper smiled encouragingly at him. Luffy looked at their faces, and froze. For a moment he could've sworn that there were six other faces behind them, smiling back lovingly. The other three didn't seem to notice and just looked at him.

Luffy's eyes widened slightly, but the warm feeling in his stomach was growing and he felt completely at ease all of sudden. Only then, Luffy managed a full grin as he felt something touch his heart. It was weird, but nice at the same time and he felt no regret or anything negative. His energy was about to burst, and Luffy knew it was the right decision he'd made.

"Keep going!" Luffy said and it sounded a tad happier than before. "Keep going." He repeated, but this time it was barely a whisper. The others heard it and couldn't help but wonder whether Luffy said it to maintain their course or to encourage himself not to give up.

After a while, they decided they didn't want to know. It was Luffy's business, and it didn't matter because finally, FINALLY, Luffy was back; probably a tad more thoughtful and less naïve than before, but who could blame him? Sanji and Chopper were just happy to know that deep down, their captain hadn't changed at all. Ace closed his eyes for a moment, silently thanking anyone who'd helped Luffy making up his mind, and then he patted Luffy on the back.

"I never thought that you would be MY captain someday, captain." Ace joked slightly for good measure. Luffy giggled slightly. He was glad Ace was with them.

"I will surpass you, Ace." Luffy said cheerfully, but there was something in his eyes that made Ace believe his words.

"Yeah. No doubt about it, you will."

Before Luffy could answer, the wind picked up and it nearly knocked both his and Ace's hats away. Sanji swore under his breath and Chopper squeaked. Luffy inhaled deeply.

"Alright! Sanji, do the Coup de Burst, NOW! Set course straight to the invisible mystery thing!" he ordered, and it felt good.

Sanji couldn't keep the grin from his face. "AYE!" Seconds later, they flew through the air. The start wasn't as great as when Franky had did it, but as long as Sanji managed to get them flying it was okay. He didn't want to replace Franky or anything, either.

When they landed, there was no wind at all. The sun shone down on them mercilessly and the air felt tight and hot. "What's this now? Did we land in the Calm Belt...?" Ace blinked, trying to figure out what was going on now. The others agreed quietly, sounding just as confused as the logia user. Something was definitely off, this couldn't be normal!

Suddenly, the youngest crewmember gasped audibly and they all shot around. They expected to see a huge snake or a sea king twice the size of a mountain rising before them, or maybe another ship, but not THAT.

Just about one hundred meters before them, was something was emerging into view; it looked as if it was growing taller and taller, and it was extremely bright. The strawhat crew shielded their eyes from the blinding light. What they saw took their breath away. It was something neither of them had ever seen before. It was pretty, but there was a certain danger lying within this beauty.

It was an island. In the middle of the isle, there was a huge fire burning and it looked as if its blue flames were melting into the sky.

"What... on earth is that?" Sanji gasped. No one had an answer.

**YXYXYXYXYXYXYXYX**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter =D I tried to make it longer than the last one because I'm going on a trip soon and won't be updating anything then. I'll try to write another chapter until then, but I don't know if I'll have the time. Sorry, it can't be helped :( **

**Reviews are always greatly appreciated~ :)**

**Until next chapter~ **

**Neko11**


	15. Sorry to all my readers!

Hello everyone... I can't say how sorry I am that this is not an update, sorry to disappoint you. I know you've been waiting for a new chapter for a long time now. The thing is I'll put this story on hiatus for now, sorry people.

Someone really, really dear to me died. Truth be told, I couldn't care less about my stories or, for that matter, One Piece at the moment. This does NOT mean I've abandoned any of my stories. I will continue this story, of course, but please give me time. There won't be any updates for now.

I really want to thank you all for your patience up until now and for your great support. Thank you. I hope you won't be waiting for too long, but I really cannot tell when I will write again.

My deepest apologies, and I wish you all the best.

Neko11


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